Harry Evans: The Boy Who Lived
by IndigoStarshine
Summary: What if Severus Snape was actually Harry's father? How would that impact Harry and the rest of the Wizarding World? How would that affect him personally? A typical HP/SS son story with a bit of a twist.
1. Atonement and an Odd Boy

_A/N: I just want to rewrite my story Harry James Evans: The Boy Who Lived._

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><p><em>December 1980<em>

James Potter frantically ran into his study room, he didn't have much time. He could see Death Eaters outside his house, a whole gang walking down the street, trudging through the heavy snow. They were coming for him. This would be the end of him. He had been betrayed but by whom he did not know.

He fumbled around for a spare piece of parchment and an inked quill. His owl surprised by his current behaviour. He was too preoccupied to even realise that he was crying in sorrow. This was the end of the story for him, after death he was sure nothing came after. He had always wanted to be a hero and this was what he would get, a hero's end and all its glory.

Even when he was fully sent up to write what he needed to, he had trouble doing so. As much as he wanted to write, the words were difficult to place on the page. He hand refused to stop shaking to allow words to form on the page.

He had to remind himself why he was doing this:

He didn't want his Death Eater distant cousins to inherit everything he owned, especially the invisibility cloak. He wanted to spite them in last vengeance.

It would be the last kind thing he would ever do. The money would go to two people who really needed it.

It was his atonement for the wrongs he had committed.

Lily Evans had given birth to a son and she had made him the godfather. The girl whom he had loved for over nine years of his life and later rejected him had a son to a Death Eater. It wasn't what she wanted for herself. As a muggle born she had trouble finding employment so she had to resort to lesser means to support herself once her parents had died and her hardhearted sister refused to help her. She was also willing to do certain things to gain information for the Order and by extension, to save the wizarding world. Lily was the bravest and kindest woman he had ever known. He owed it to her, and to her son.

He remembered the night when Lily had come to him crying. He opened the door expecting Sirius, Peter or Remus but was surprised when he saw Lily. She desperately needed help. She was living in poverty, pregnant and she didn't know what to do. He accepted her with open arms.

She had named her new son Harry James Evans. The baby was named 'Harry' after his deceased grandfather and 'James' after his godfather. Everyone thought that the baby was his. James had gone along with this lie. He had never slept with her and even without Lily confessing, he knew who the father really was. The boy sadly took after his father, hopefully only physically.

James was always a prankster and often bullied other students while at Hogwarts. He couldn't help but feel regret over a lot of his actions and when he had left Hogwarts; he desperately tried to make amends. One thing that got to James was that it was perhaps his actions that added to the reasons why the boy's father became a Death Eater in the first place. The boy wouldn't have a mother who had to whore herself to sustain the both of them. He hoped his godson would grow up to be happy and live in a world where there was no Voldemort or Death Eaters and no intolerance. This was how he would make amends to the man he had so scorned and tormented.

On the piece of paper he had forced himself to write:

'_I, James Charlus Potter, leave everything I own to Lily Elizabeth Evans and Harry James Evans. He is our son. Goodbye. James Potter.'_

Nobody would deny that Harry was his son now. He addressed the letter to Dumbledore, tied the letter to the leg of his owl and opened the window wide. Looking out the window, he noticed that his muggle neighbours had put up festive decorations. The muggles of Godrick's Hollow were good willed and accepting, just what Lily and her son needed in a world of intolerance. He was reminded that this would be the boy's first Christmas and smiled, he could remember all the gifts his parents spoilt him with every Christmas. The boy deserved a good childhood.

The Death Eaters were banging at his front door now. He watched as his owl had flown out of sight before drawing out his wand and going to face the Death Eaters. There were too many of them to fight and he knew he would die, but he wasn't going to give up so easily.

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><p>…<em>And so, James Potter died leaving Lily and her son a considerable fortune. The letter had reached Dumbledore before the Dark Mark had appeared above his dwelling. Wizarding society had accepted that James was Harry's father although he still had the ghastly stigma of being born illegitimate.<em>

_Life for Lily and her son had become slightly happier than it had been for a long time, until disaster happened. Voldemort had interpreted Harry as a part of the prophecy and set out to destroy him. Severus Snape tried to plea with the Dark Lord not to kill Lily as he still deeply loved her, although he believed that Harry was the son of Potter. The result was Lily sacrificing herself for her son to live, Voldemort being temporarily vanquished and Snape becoming a permanent agent for Dumbledore._

_Harry Evans became the famous 'the boy who lived' and celebrated as a hero for a reason he could not even remember. Magic society unknowingly accepted the lowly illegitimate son of a muggle born prostitute and a former Death Eater as their saviour._

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><p>Even at a young age, Harry Evans was always an odd boy.<p>

He had sullen black hair recklessly cut by his aunt with the guidance of a cooking bowl over his head. He was pale enough for people to regularly inquire whether he was ill. He had facial features overly serious for a boy. To make it worse, the baggy, worn hand-me-down clothes that came from his large cousin Dudley did nothing to help give him an air of normality. However, it was his striking almond-shaped green eyes and thunderbolt scar on his forehead that attracted the most attention. When people asked him how he had acquired such an unusual mark, he could only shrug.

Harry had lived with his aunt and uncle for most of his life and could not see any way around it. Living with the Dursleys was forbidding. His Uncle Vernon was a large man who cared nothing but his business success, his car and how his family compared with the neighbours. Aunt Petunia was blonde and horse looking with a long neck. There was something about Harry that made her face occasionally grimace in disgust, which was quite cruel and harsh for someone to do to their sister's child. Then there was his cousin Dudley Dursley whom Harry often compared to a fat pig in a blond wig, whom his both his Aunt and Uncle spoilt to no end.

If you randomly walked into their home on 4 Privet Drive, you couldn't tell that another boy lived there if you didn't know otherwise. There were no pictures of him on the walls. There was no bedroom for him as he slept under the stairs. There was no love or time for him.

A lot of the time Harry felt angry about how he was treated. He often lashed out in ways that the Dursleys could not explain or pick up. He often stole Dudley's things and either sold or hid them. Yet, there was a certain calmness in him that triumphed the anger. Like an invisible beacon of light that gave him love no matter what.

When he was little, he had hoped that he had other family who would whisk him away from them but with age he eventually realised that nobody was coming for him. The Dursleys were the only family he had. For some reason he had always hoped that it was his real father before realising that the man not only had nothing to do with his life, but probably didn't know he even existed. Maybe his real father was a nice man, maybe he was a scumbag – Harry supposed he would never know.

Whenever he got into arguments with Dudley, Dudley's resolution to everything was the same:

"Dudley, I'm staying back at school late because I have to tutor little Louise Maple. I can't do your homework for you tonight."

"Dad will get really angry at you if you don't!"

"I don't care, he's always angry at me anyway. Besides, he'll be too preoccupied with his company dinner. So is your Mum, so fuck off."

"Well, your Mum was a drug addicted prostitute."

This would strike a sad chord within Harry, maybe because his mother really was a prostitute and had died from a drug overdose. The Dursleys would sometimes use it against him. He hated them as much as they hated him and had already decided to run away when he was old enough. Harry knew he was clever enough to make it in the world by himself, but life for him always didn't seem fair. For instance, why didn't they just put him up for adoption? Harry was sure there were plenty of families that would love a son, even one like him.

Harry liked school better than home. For a boy with such an unnatural and neglected appearance, he was reasonably well liked. Well, more liked than his bully of a cousin Dudley. Harry was the kind of boy who spent all recess in the library reading books, not just because it was refuge from bullies like Dudley and his gang (who he doubted would ever voluntarily enter a library), but because he genuinely liked reading. He just liked books. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia hated going to parent teacher meetings because all they would hear as 'Harry is a very bright boy who gets along with most other children' and 'Dudley is dangerously overweight and underperforming'.

He wouldn't have to put up with Dudley at school for much longer anyway; Dudley would be attending Smeltings, the academy Vernon attended while Harry would be attending Stonewall High. Even though Stonewall was sure to be a shitty school and filled with losers and deadbeats, Harry was determined to succeed. Over his school years, he had developed several methods of dealing with bullies. There would have to be people

Harry had only ever had a few good friends, both of closer friends had left the school by the time he was ten. His best friend Emmy was a year older and her family had moved to London so she could attend an academically selective secondary school. His other best friend, Adam Freyson and his family moved back to Iceland a year ago. Harry remembered that he couldn't speak much English when he first arrived and Harry had helped him escape bullies. To Harry's anger and resentment, the Dursleys wouldn't let him have them as pen pals. It had been a very lonely school year.

He still got along with most of the over students though, even if they thought he was highly abnormal and some made an effort to avoid him. Harry didn't complain though, he _was_ abnormal. Strange things would happen when he was upset, frightened, mad or sometimes just bored. He remembered he made the toy train that Dudley had received from Aunt Marge for his seventh birthday vanish into thin air; he didn't intend to do something so mean but when the woman who he was forced to call 'aunt' gave a packet of dog biscuits he just lost it. Dudley screamed and cried the whole afternoon as Harry had successfully ruined his party. When Aunt Petunia had once shaved off all his hair, he found that it had grown back to the way it was overnight. Earlier that year, he had failed to explain to the principal why he had seemingly teleported himself on the school roof once when he was being chased by Dudley and his gang. Dudley's gang and other groups of bullies permanently left him alone after that. He was then after known as 'that freak Harry'.

In fact Harry's favourite memory had been caused by his strange abilities. Two years ago, he and Emmy were riding on her bicycle when a gang of high school students had turned up and threatened them. Harry had tried his hardest to out-peddle them but he found that it was extra difficult with Emmy on the back, holding on to him with her life. Suddenly, Harry found himself rising higher and higher. It was fantastic. Emmy had started screaming at first but after being up high for a couple of minutes she had started to enjoy the view. She didn't seem scared of him.

All this changed one day when he would receive a letter in the mail…

"Harry, get the mail!"

Harry could hear Uncle Vernon's voice boom from the kitchen into his cupboard under the stairs. Harry merely rolled over in his bed.

"No, make Dudley get it!"

"Dudley, can you get the mail please?"

"Make Harry get it!"

"Dudley, poke him with your Smelting Stick."

Harry grudgingly got out of bed, making an effort to move as slowly as possible in the hope that Uncle Vernon would get off his huge bum and get the mail himself.

"Hurry up, boy! Don't get all resentful with me again!"

Harry opened to cupboard door and took slow, deliberate steps towards the door to get the mail. He knew Uncle Vernon was annoyed without even looking back. It was when Uncle Vernon gave a grunt or coughed in a deliberate way to disguise that he was annoyed. He was coughing like a small dog would bark.

It was a pretty typical morning. Uncle Vernon drank his tea before Aunt Petunia made him breakfast. Uncle Vernon and Dudley ate almost everything. The Dursleys only gave Harry enough food so that the child protection agency wouldn't get suspicious. They had given up trying to force Harry to cook for them. He always deliberately burnt it or found a way to make it taste disgusting.

Harry looked through the mail with the usual apathy; a bill for Uncle Vernon, a bank statement for Uncle Vernon, another bill for Uncle Vernon, a possible lawsuit for Uncle Vernon, a fashion magazine subscription for Aunt Petunia. Then he came across an interesting envelope. The paper was old and brownish and it had a string around it. It had no stamp, only an insignia of a shield with a 'H' in the centre on the back. The best thing about this letter was that it was addressed to him, in fancy writing: _Harry James Evans, the cupboard underneath the stairs, 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey._

Harry was amazed and a little shocked.

This was the first letter he had ever received in his short life. He quickly stuffed it in his back pocket. He would open it in his bedroom away from the Dursleys, where they wouldn't see it.

"What the devil is it, boy?"

"Nothing much," Harry said with hands in his pocket. To Uncle Vernon, Harry was always acting in a way that was deceitful.

Aunt Petunia finished making breakfast and totted awkwardly over to Uncle Vernon in her high heels to pick up the letter. Aunt Petunia was fully dolled up; wearing a blue and white polka dot dress, her favourite purple high heels and her best, most expensive make up. If it were any other woman Harry would have said that she looked beautiful but this was his horse faced aunt - she just looked silly wearing such fancy clothes. Today she was going to have brunch with some of her friends at their usual favourite fancy restaurant, if you could really call the gossipy group of ladies she spent time with as genuine friends.

She placed large plates of bacon, egg and toast in front of Vernon and Dudley who proceeded to wolf it down. Harry thought they looked like pigs at a trough. For Harry there was a burnt slice of toast, some egg and bacon.

"You know I don't like bacon," said Harry, scrapping it to the side, "I've only been saying that for the last eight years or so."

Aunt Petunia gave him the evil eyes, "Well, don't eat it you ungrateful brat! If the child services come we can say that you refused to eat what we provide."

Harry frowned. They obviously didn't care enough about him to remember that he didn't like bacon, tuna or his Aunt's wilted salads and hadn't done so for as long he had been here. She also made him tuna sandwiches on purpose as well. He didn't know what kind of thrill she got out of doing so.

Dudley snorted and forked up the bacon on Harry's plate, "How could you not like bacon, freak? The fuck is wrong with you."

"Duddy-pumpkin, watch your language." Aunt Petunia stated in her wimpy voice. She was never upset at anything he did.

"I don't like eating pigs because they remind me of you."

In an instant, Uncle Vernon went red in the face, like a big beetroot. It always amused Harry. Dudley started to whimper - despite his bullying nature, he cried easily. Aunt Petunia shrieked. Annoying the Dursleys was like watching a bag of marshmallows explode in the microwave - it amused him immensely when it shouldn't have. Harry snatched the toast and ran straight back into the cupboard. It took great skill and practice to escape their wrath – both of which Harry had already mastered. He put on the cupboard light and opened the letter when he thought it was safe.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry smiled in amusement. A wizarding school? Must be some sort of joke. Still, it sounded cool and it might be fun. Maybe he might even have his own TV show, like Zonko. Anything was better than the Dursleys and Stonewall High. There was another letter, one that listed all the stationary and book. But, how the heck would he respond by owl and how would he buy all those books? Did they even exist?


	2. A Birthday Wish

_December 1979_

It was late at night and Severus could just see the silhouette of Lily's body as she stood to look out of the window. Her body was so beautiful, despite being tarnished by the bodies of others, mainly men. As she gazed out of his bedroom window at his place at Spinner's End, he knew her well enough to know what kind of thoughts were going through her mind. He didn't need occlumency to know of her thoughts of self-loathing.

"Sev, do you know what time it is?"

"It's twelve thirty, dear. Come back to bed."

"I'm not your _dear_, Sev - Just a whore who satisfies your needs. That's how all my Death Eater clients see me."

"You have other Death Eater clients?"

"Oh yes, I seem to be very popular with them - the hypocrites. They aren't as nice to me as you are though. I've had Bellatrix Lestrange who I can say is a very strange person. Nott is an asshole. So are Crabbe, Goyle and the Carrows. And guess what - Malfoy has a small ding-a-ling."

Lily began giggling like a child, it was brief but cheeky – a reminder of her former spunky personality. It was so long since the last time he had seen her laugh or show any kind of happiness at all.

There were so many things that he wanted to tell her and do for her that were made impossible by being a Death Eater. He wanted to tell her that she was more than just a pretty face and that she was the most kind and talented woman he had ever known. He wanted to tell her that he loved her soul more than her body. He wanted to marry her and support her. He wanted her to be happy again. Severus would do anything for that.

She turned her head to glare at him, the moonlight made her expression more haunting, "Remember when we were kids? Remember that park down the road where we use to play."

Her question took him by surprise and he took a while before answering. It seemed like it was such a long time ago, almost a different world.

"Of course."

"We had no responsibilities, no war, no fighting. We were the best of friends. It was wonderful."

"I miss those days. I wish I could go back."

She started to faintly smile, something that he had never seen an adult Lily do, "I wish I was a child again and we could be friends. Even though you have grown into a Death Eater you are still so kind to me. It proves that there is still some good in you, deep down where nobody else can see. I wish you were brave enough not to have followed the crowd."

"We can still be friends," he got himself out of bed and went over to her, not to touch her but to just stand beside her, to see what she was seeing, "I don't just want you for sex. We can still just talk as we use to."

She shook her head, "No. Whatever childhood friendship we had is over, Severus. Accept that. I am nothing more than a whore. I hate what I do. I'm only twenty and I've slept with more people than I can count. That's why I don't want to do it anymore. After tonight I will not be a prostitute anymore. I want to be a good mother."

Severus felt a brick plummet through his stomach, he was not expecting this. He knew about her association with the order and how she was connected to Potter, Black and the others. He started to feel anger and envy, even though it would have been a disaster for his Death Eater status to have an illegitimate child with her.

"What?" Severus stumbled for words, "You don't look like you're very far along with the pregnancy. Is Potter the father? Black? Lupin? Or someone else from the Order?"

"The father of my child is none of your business. Besides, I'm not sure. What's the baby to you anyway?"

She then proceeded to put all of her clothes back on. There was nothing he could do to stop her from leaving, so he did nothing. He was sick of forcing her to do things against her will.

"Goodbye, Sev. I'll always remember you as a childhood friend, not a monster. What you've become is just a result of the world we live in, just like I am."

Lily then left before he could say goodbye. She would never believe him if he told her that he loved her. Severus never did see her again. It was that moment that made him want to go back in time, becoming a Death Eater was a wrong choice and he couldn't get out of it.

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><p><em>July 1991<em>

_It was over the next couple of days that the Dursleys went absolutely mad. After Harry had received the first letter (he tried to respond but couldn't), several more had appeared the next day to take its place. And so forth. Harry was torn between feeling bemused by the stupid behaviour of the Dursleys and upset that they were destroying his letters. _

_A couple of days later an explosion of letters out of the mail box had lead Uncle Vernon to take them on a random holiday to 'a hut on the rocks' in the hope that the letters would stop._

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><p>It was 11:58 on the little digital alarm clock on the little stand beside Dudley's feet, just two more minutes until it was the 31 July and it would be his eleventh birthday. It wasn't how Harry wanted to spend his birthday, in this awfully dusty and decrepit place they were only staying in out of Uncle Vernon's paranoia over the letters, but it wasn't as if he had ever had what he wanted for his birthday.<p>

'_BANG! CRACK! BOOM!'_

The weather outside was atrocious. The thunder and lightning were so loud that he was surprised the Dursleys were still asleep. It was almost like gunfire. The rain was just as bad; everything smelt damp and water dripped into buckets from cracks in the ceiling. All of this wouldn't be as awful, if Harry wasn't certain that he and the Dursleys were going to be stuck here for at least two days until the weather cleared up. Having nothing was a better present than having to spend two days with the Dursleys in this awful place.

The alarm clock made a small buzzing sound. It was his birthday. He rolled over and drew a cake in the dusty floor with his finger. Not as good as the cake he drew on paper last year but it was better than no cake at all.

"Make a wish, Harry!"

He then blew out the candles. Harry's wish was the same one he had every year, for the Dursleys to be nice or to be whisked away from them. Both of which were unlikely to happen.

"BANG!"

It was louder than the thunder outside. To the Dursley's shock, the door fell to the dusty ground. Standing in the doorway was a ginormous man. He was wearing a large moleskin coat and had lots of frizzy hair as well as a beard that was just as long and frizzy. Dudley screamed and ran to his parents. Harry hid under the small rickety table by the door. Uncle Vernon had got out the shot gun, his hands were trembling. Aunt Petunia was latched to his side, her hands gripped tight on her husband's arm.

The ginormous man entered the house and looked straight at Dudley.

"'ello thar' Harry," the man said in a friendly voice, "Pleased ter meet you at last. You're a little bit different than what I'd imagined, especially right in the middle."

"I-I-I'm not Harry…" It was the first time that Harry could remember seeing Dudley look scared.

Harry decided to come out from under the table, "I am."

The huge giant turned towards him. Harry saw the man's eyes widen in surprise.

"Why, indeed yeh are," he smiled gently, "How lovely for yer to have your mother's eyes. Anyway — Harry, a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

The man brought out a brown box to give to Harry. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with "Happy Birthday Harry" written on it in green icing. Harry was overjoyed, the last time he had been given a birthday cake was when his friend Adam's parents had made one for him three years ago. He instantly lost any fear he might have had against this stranger.

"- Who the _hell_ are you?" Vernon interrupted, raising the shot gun higher.

"Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts. Friends call me Hagrid."

Harry's eyes widened, he wasn't expecting the place to be real.

"How do you know me?" Harry asked, "I mean, how did you know my mother?"

"I taught your mother when she went to Hogwarts. She was such a sweet girl then and she became such a powerful witch. I can't imagine you not wanting to follow in her footsteps. Yeh father was a good man, too."

"A witch? You mean that magic is real and that Hogwarts is too?"

"Didn't yer Aunt 'n' Uncle tell yer nothing? Haven't yer ever done anything unexplainable when yer were scared or afraid? Yer a wizard Harry. Surely they musta known."

Harry blinked with his eyes wide open. He couldn't help but recall the times that the Dursleys told him there was 'no such thing as magic' or seemed not to notice strange things happening around him from when he made an ugly sweater shrink because he didn't want to wear it to the time he ruined Dudley's birthday by making the toy train that Dudley had received from Aunt Marge vanish into thin air.

Aunt Petunia scoffed, "How could we have not known? It was obvious that you would be just as strange and abnormal as she was. She got that letter and went to that school with that horrid boy. She grew up and she had a boy without a father. She got herself blown up and we were landed with you."

There was a stringent bitterness in her voice that Harry had not heard before. She had been holding that resentment for all those years. Her sister was a witch, while she was not.

"You told me my mum died of a drug overdose!" Harry shouted. She had lied to him for all these years and had no remorse for it.

"What?" Hagrid was angry, "Lily Evans was never, ever a drug addict. Lily died protecting her own son. Harry's father was James Potter, a great and noble wizard. This is an outrage! A scandal!"

"- He will not be going to that damn school! I will not sit around and let some crackpot old fool teach him magic tricks," Vernon shouted, his neck and cheeks as red as a beetroot. He was still pointing the old shot gun straight at their visitor.

Hagrid brought out his umbrella and pointed at Vernon, "Never call Albus a 'crackpot old fool' in front of me. Ever."

In the corner, Dudley was busy eating the birthday cake Hagrid made. With a swish of the umbrella in Dudley's direction, a curly pink pig tail grew on his behind. The Dursleys began to screech in horror. Dudley had his hands on the tail, trying to pull it off while Vernon dropped the shot gun to try to yank it off himself. Both of them were screaming and yelling. Aunt Petunia fainted. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous of the situation.

Hagrid turned to him and smiled, "Ready to come with me."

Harry looked at the Dursleys. They were too absorbed with Dudley growing a tail to notice Harry being beckoned by Hagrid to leave. He knew that was supposed to feel some sort of grief over leaving them but he didn't. They wouldn't even notice him missing. Harry had no idea what held in store for him when he left with the mysterious large man but he showed more genuine kindness to Harry in less than an hour than the Dursleys had over ten years of his life and to Harry, that made the world of difference. Anything had to be better than the Dursleys and Stonewall High.

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><p><em>AN: I hope this chapter was alright. Reviews, favourites and follows are always welcome._


	3. Sorting and First Potions Lesson

**The Sorting:**

Severus watched as Minerva led the new group of first years towards the Sorting Hat. It was that time of year again but this time would different. It would be the year that Harry Evans, the son of Lily, started at Hogwarts. Severus had been waiting for this moment for so many years. The moment seemed surreal, like he didn't think it would actually happen. However, he acted the usual apathy that he displayed for the sorting ceremony every previous year, such as only clapping for students sorted into Slytherin and taking a mental note of which children were sorted into Gryffindor.

When all the eleven year olds had gathered around, Severus tried to look for the boy. He tried to see if he could spot any boys that looked like they could be a miniature Potter with scruffy hair and a set of glasses but after minutes of looking, he couldn't find one.

It was then that Minerva started to call names, "Abbott, Hannah."

There was silence in the hall, the sorting of the first child was always an excitement.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

It wouldn't be long before she would go on to the 'E' section and call over young Harry. The boy was forced to have his mother's last name as a sign that he was illegitimate. Severus quickly found himself feeling melancholic; looking at the boy would be a reminder that she had a son with his worst enemy. A woman like Lily had the power to change him from being the lonely, self-centred Death Eater that he was. The love of his life was dead and the spawn of Potter would be the only reminder of her existence.

"Evans, Harry."

Severus' heart had skipped a few beats as he watched a pale scrawny boy with sleek, dark hair walk over to the stand and sit on it. The boy's facial expression was a mixture of sheer excitement and shyness. If he really was the son of Potter; he looked absolutely nothing like him. Nothing at all. He didn't take after Lily either.

The whole Great Hall had become silent as the hat was placed on his head. Usually a boy like him would have been laughed at because of his status as the son of a muggle born prostitute and his awkward appearance but he wasn't. Harry Evans had to advantage of being special – being someone famous for something he couldn't even remember. Everybody wanted to know what house would have the pleasure of having 'the boy who lived' as one of their own.

Harry gulped as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head. He hoped that he would be placed in the right house.

_'Well, well, well, what do we have here?'_

Harry almost jumped off the stool; he could hear the hat in his mind. It was an uncomfortable experience. He hated anything that could possibly probe through his mind and reveal his secrets. Not that he had any real secrets anyway. Not yet.

_'Plenty of talent, I see and not a bad mind either. I see that you are generally loyal, fair and kind to others, especially to those you love and care about - maybe you would belong in Hufflepuff. You also have a great love of learning, a trait of a true Ravenclaw. You are unafraid to stand up for what is right against neighbourhood bullies. I see courage, oh yes, and a strong need to prove yourself - '_

Harry closed his eyes and began to wish hard, 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.'

'Not Slytherin, eh? But Slytherin will lead you on the path to greatness, there's no doubt about that. No? Well, if you're sure, then…'

"GRYFFINDOR!"

In the mist of shouting and applause that had erupted from the Gryffindor table, Severus watched in disappointment as the son of Lily walked over to sit at the Gryffindor table.

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><p><strong>First Potions Lesson:<strong>

Harry found his first couple of days at Hogwarts wonderful. The place was beautiful, spacious and enigmatic. Words could not really describe how happy he was to be there. Harry had taken time to explore the castle and look at the surroundings; he was even tempted to go near the Forbidden Forest just for a look. He was surprised by this newly found adventurous aspect of his personality; it was as if being away from the Dursleys was like being let out of cage. The Sorting Hat obviously had some sense in placing him in Gryffindor, the house of bravery and courage. He seemed to be more impressed by the castle then other students, especially students who were raised with the knowledge that they had magic in them. He guessed that unlike the other students who missed their families, Harry didn't have anywhere he would rather be or anybody to miss.

Finding out he was a wizard was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. He didn't like to think about where he would currently be if he had no magic. He didn't like to think about the Dursleys either. The people at Hogwarts generally treated him better than his only relatives did. It proved to Harry that blood wasn't necessarily thicker than water, at least in his case.

He did manage to make new friends. He had already made good friends with Ron Weasley, the boy he had met on the Hogwarts Express. The red-haired boy came from a large family of magic folk and had been very kind in helping Harry by explaining many aspects of the magical world. There was also Hermione Granger, a studious girl who had buffy mousy brown hair and abnormally large front teeth. Her parents were dentists and like him, grew up ignorant of the magical world. Harry found her a nice girl, even if she was a bit of a bossy know-it-all.

There were also negative aspects to coming to Hogwarts. One was his unwanted fame, as a shy person, Harry dislike having people talk about him behind his back or trying to get a good look at his scar. There were also the people who made fun of him, at his old school there were also people who teased him but that was for his nerdish ways and odd appearance. The people who teased him at Hogwarts mainly did so because of his birth status. It turns out that being born illegitimate was a particularly negative stigma in the wizarding world. It also didn't help that his mother was 'muggle born'. It was never fair to be teased, but being discriminated against for something he was born and couldn't control seemed more unfair than being labelled a nerd or a weirdo.

Mainly it the Slytherins who held this prejudice against him but at least he wasn't the only person targeted, Hermione and other muggle borns also experienced prejudice against them. He especially didn't like Draco Malfoy. The blond boy seemed to excrete obnoxiousness from every pore of his body by claiming that he was better than everyone else simply because he was deemed 'pureblood'. His drawling voice made him even more unpleasant to listen to.

Harry just stuck around his friends and ignored all negative comments that came his way. When he wasn't reading books or doing homework, he and Ron would be playing chess with each other and versing Ravenclaw students. Although Harry liked being a Gryffindor, he found many of the others in the house rowdy and too outgoing for his liking. Many Ravenclaws were studious, clever and held interesting conversations.

Despite the slight negative aspects of Hogwarts, Harry found himself very much at home.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," Ron frowned as he looked over their timetable, "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. My brothers say he always favours them and always puts down the Gryffindors. Fred and George _hate_ him."

"I hope not," Harry said through bites of pancake, "Hopefully, he's not an overgrown version of a lot of the nasty Slytherins."

Hermione nodded in agreement, "We better get going otherwise we'll be late."

They left the Great Hall after they had finished breakfast and reluctantly made their way to the dungeons.

Severus Snape was busy pedantically preparing the classroom for the new first years' introduction to Potions. Using non-verbal magic, Severus made cauldrons appear on the tables along with the other equipment the students would need. He made sure that the equipment was positioned identically on each desk. He didn't know why he took such care in setting up his classroom; it wasn't as if the snotty nosed brats ever appreciated it.

It wasn't long before the first eleven year olds arrived and took their seats. In the short time before the lesson was expected to begin, Severus took careful note on the new students. Like which ones didn't look like they were very bright. He also took note of the new Gryffindors, a new year of brazen and loathsome fools.

When he was satisfied that enough students were in the room to begin, he only had to wave his hand and the children would become quiet. That was the only thing he genuinely enjoyed about teaching, the authority and power he had over the students through fear. If it wasn't for his bargain with Dumbledore, he would not have ever become a teacher. Nor should he have, Snape was impatient, intolerant and frequently antagonistic towards his students. But if it wasn't for Dumbledore, he also wouldn't have been anything more than his former selfish Death Eater self.

"Welcome to potions. I am Professor Snape. I don't expect all of you to be able to respect the subtle art of potion making but for those of you who display aptitude, it should prove interesting. I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can teach you how to cure boils, brew glory and stopper death…"

He looked around the classroom. Most of the Gryffindor students looked a bit intimidated – they must have heard the rumours about him. Good. He also noticed Harry Evans looking curiously around the room, admiring bottles in the cabinets filled with potions ingredients - obviously not paying attention.

"Harry Evans," He called out and the boy sprung in fright to look at him, "Our new celebrity."

Some of the Slytherin class members began snickering.

"Tell me Mr Evans, where exactly would you find a bezoar?"

He glared into the boy's eyes and penetrated his thoughts, _'I think it's the undigested matter that forms in the stomach of a goat.'_

The buffy haired, bucktoothed girl sitting beside him enthusiastically raised her hand up high and waved, eager to answer for him.

The boy started to shake his head, "I don't know, Professor."

Severus found it interesting that the boy didn't seem to gloat on his newly found fame as his eleven-year-old father would have, but instead acted timidly and seemed a little confused at the treatment.

"Let's try again, what would you use Gillyweed for?"

'I_t can give you temporary gills and webbed digits. Obviously helpful if you wanted to go underwater for various lengths of time.'_

The words that came out of his mouth were completely different, "I don't know, Professor."

For a moment Severus made eye contact with the boy. His heart almost skipped a beat when he saw Lily's bright green eyes glare back at him again. Using deeper Legilimency, he briefly delved into the boy's mind. The boy was deliberately not answering the questions mainly because he had a defiant nature and hated being singled out because of his fame. Severus also sensed a desire to fit in as much with his peers as possible.

"Clearly fame isn't everything, is it Mr Evans?"

More snickering from the other students and it wasn't only Slytherins this time.

Severus went back to teaching the class as per usual and left Harry alone. He found it hard to summon up the same feelings of hatred that he had felt for James Potter. The boy had no Potter in him, physically or in personality. It made him kind of happy to know that there was no progeny of Potter walking on the Earth. Severus also became suspicious, if Lily's son was not Potter's, who was the boy's real father? He sincerely hoped that the boy's father was not a pureblood supremacist Death Eater – it would be extremely traumatically for the boy. Severus had other suspicions….

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><p><em>AN: Reviews, favourites and follows are always appreciated and welcome._


	4. The Truth about Spinner's End

A/N: Thanks for the follows, favourites and reviews. This chapter is mainly a backstory of Severus' past.

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><p>On the afternoon after Harry's first potions lesson Severus took a portkey back to his lowly house at Spinner's End and began to search through his belongings. He was trying to find the photo of his first year cohort at Hogwarts. He was particularly interested to see whether Harry looked more like him or Sirius Black at his age. Not that it proved paternity but it was a start.<p>

With the amount of mess that was spread around his house it would take a while to find anything, even with the assistance of magic. He used a variety of household spells to try and sort out the junk that was lying around. Over the years he had forgotten where his mother had kept her most valuable belongings safe from her husband. While he was growing up, his mother hid things to save them from being broken or hocked by Tobias Snape.

He suddenly became amused by the fact that although he hadn't spent much time in the house since he was sixteen; the house was in a state of utter chaos. In fact, the house had been fallow since he was a teenager.

"I don't know why I still keep this place," Severus muttered with vile bitterness, "It's not like I have any happy childhood memories here. I should have sold it to muggles ages ago."

It was true; Severus completely resented this house more than anything else in his life. It was where his parents constantly fought each other and where he was abused as a child.

His mother had never laid a harsh hand on 'her little man' but Tobias Snape on the other hand was a brute to both of them. Severus would remember when he would come back from work drunk in a foul mood and start yelling at both of them; his violence would then escalate to throwing a young Severus against the dull brick walls of the house or do something equally horrible. He remembered his mother was always there with a healing potion and a warm hug afterwards. Although she was able to cure his wounds, over time he had developed a spidery walk because of the repeated injuries. It was his mother who taught him how to brew potions and magic before starting Hogwarts.

Severus found himself shaking his head. Why did his wonderful, intelligent mother end up marrying a horrible muggle like Tobias Snape? Until he was fifteen this was a great mystery.

He did know that his mother had a life just as difficult as his own. Eileen Prince was born into a pureblood but dysfunctional family and was bullied for most of her time at Hogwarts, mainly by Gryffindor students. Once she had left Hogwarts she found a job in the ministry as an Unspeakable and through this, became involved with a wizard who her pureblood supremacist parents didn't approve of. She couldn't run away with him because he was older and already married with other children of his own. He was also in a position of power and could not afford to have the knowledge of fathering an illegitimate child to a much younger woman going around.

So she married Tobias Snape, the first muggle man she could find and addled with his memory to make him believe that he was the father of her child. Unluckily, he turned out to be a brute. This was all written in a note that his mother had addressed to him before her death but he had known that Tobias Snape was not his real father since he was twelve.

He remembered the night with perfect clarity. It was the school holidays and he had stayed up late revising school work because he couldn't get to sleep with his parents fighting. After the argument had finished, his mother ran into his room sobbing with her face buried in her hands. There was blood seeping slightly from in between her fingers and ran down the back of her palms. She then told him between sobs:

"I'm sorry Sev," She said, "Tobias isn't your real father. I'm sorry that I've lied to you for all these years. I hope you can forgive me."

He said nothing, but let her cry herself to sleep next to him. His twelve year old self knew that he was meant to feel angry at her but he didn't. Instead, he felt relief – he wasn't connected to the man by blood at all. After that Severus started referring to himself as 'the Half-Blood Prince' in an attempt to distance himself from Tobias Snape as much as he could. He had never bothered to change his name or tried to find his biological father because as far as he was concerned, the man was irrelevant to his life. Besides, there would be no way to track the man down – all he really knew was that the man was successful within the ministry and was married with other children. Quite a few wizards would have fit that description during the decade he was born.

If he was Harry's father, he was determined to be a much better man than both his father by nature and his legally-father Tobias Snape.

After all these years, he still had so many unanswered questions for his mother. Why did she stay married to him when he was such a bully? Severus supposed that she didn't believe that a decent man would come along and love her. But why didn't she use spells to modify his behaviour? Also, why did she isolate herself away from the magical community? With the only exception being her adult gobstone club. Who was she so afraid of? She might have been ashamed to have a child with no father but that didn't explain why she didn't even set a foot in Diagon Alley.

As he continued to clean his way through the house, he made his way closer and closer towards his mother's room. He hadn't been in the room since he was fifteen, but knew that there was every possibility that the place was where she would have kept photos. The last time he had been in there was to remove his mother's body.

Severus was finding it harder and harder to breathe. He had a vivid flashback of when he found his mother dead. He can come home for Christmas that year knowing that she had been feeling more miserable than usual and that his stepfather's abuse was becoming more violent since he had been involved with another woman. He opened the bedroom door expecting to find her reading in bed but instead found her pale body lying there silent and still. There was a note next to her bed and empty bottle of poison beside her. He didn't quite remember what happened afterwards but remembered starting to scream and cry wildly. He had completely lost control of his magic and emotions. The next thing he could remember was sitting in a destroyed living room, there was glass and torn wallpaper everywhere. Not to mention smashed furniture.

After that he was an orphan, as Tobias Snape had disappeared afterwards. Shortly after Tobias had come home to find that Severus had discovered her dead, they had gotten into their final fight and this time, Severus used magic. Severus didn't care where the man had gone. He was only glad that he wasn't coming back.

His mother's room was exactly as she had left it after all these years only dustier. Severus didn't need to look very far because his mother had kept a picture of himself as a child on her bedside table. He blew off the dust to get a better look.

"My goodness," Severus muttered in shock, "The boy looks just like me."

It was true. Harry Evans was nearly a twin of himself at around that age, although he didn't have dark eyes or a hooked nose. Harry also looked like he was a lot cleaner as well – mainly because unlike him, Harry was probably taught how to look after himself.

Severus didn't know what to do. Of course, he wanted to be a better father to Harry than what his own father had been but he knew that claiming Harry as his own would be detrimental to his plan with Dumbledore. Besides, he knew how the conversation between them would end even before he had started it:

"He's my son, Albus."

"Severus, you can't just tell the boy. You are supposed to be a spy. If you really loved the boy and his mother you would protect him from a distance. A war is coming; Severus and you know that both Harry and yourself will be at the core of it. We must all do what is right, I'm sorry."

The crafty old man had probably known this all along. He would have, he knew Lily well as she had been a part of the Order since she had left school.

Severus left his house at Spinner's End and went to The Leaky Cauldron to get something to eat. He didn't want to go back to Hogwarts just yet.

However, there was one particular way to definitively prove that Harry was his son, the Demiurge potion. Easy as anything to make, but the problem would be getting some of Harry's hair without anyone noticing.


	5. Flying Lesson

"Well, now I know I was never meant to fly."

"It's only been your first time, Harry. Don't be so hard on yourself. I definitely wasn't good when I first started. I'll even help you practise on the weekend. "

"I don't know Ron, breaking your leg on the first go isn't exactly an incentive to try again."

"Once you get out of the hospital wing you'll be fine, all forgotten. My brothers and I have had plenty of experiences with breaking bones and bruises. It was a good thing that Mum was good with healing spells."

It was only his first broomstick flying lesson and he had already managed to break a limb. A leg to be exact.

It had all started when Neville Longbottom had lost control of his broom and broke his wrist. After Madame Hooch had taken Neville to the hospital wing, Draco Malfoy had threatened to break Neville's remembrall. Draco had dared Harry to fly on his broomstick to catch it. Normally he wouldn't have been spurred by Malfoy's comments but he felt that somebody needed to stand up to Malfoy and to protect Neville from being bullied. It had turned out disastrously; Harry fell off the broom and fractured his leg. Not only that, but Neville's remembrall was smashed.

Good did come out of it though, Draco was suspended for at least three weeks and he also had to buy Neville another remembrall. From what Harry had heard, Malfoy's father was highly unimpressed.

As a result of his martyrdom, Harry had to spend a night under the supervision of Madame Pomfrey. She could heal broken bones in less than a heartbeat but his body had rejected the first healing spell that she had tried. The stay overnight was just to make sure that his body didn't reject the spell. Apparently it was unusual for a wizard's body to reject or be resistant spells, especially healing spells. Madame Pomfrey also believed that his body was probably immune to other spells as well. It was possible to do a full check but he would have to go to Saint Mungo's in order to find out. He didn't have the time to go there. Harry wanted to though and was extremely curious, maybe that was the reason why he survived Voldemort's attack on him as a baby.

"I can't believe that you're only staying overnight and you've already received plenty of get well cards – mostly from people you don't know."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I know. I'll throw away all the stuff from people I've never met. They're only wishing me well because I'm famous. It's ridiculous."

Ron shook his head, "You sure do hate having so much attention."

"It's not like I asked for it."

"That and being overly serious. You could at least keep the sweets they gave you."

Harry looked at Ron curiously. Harry had never imagined being friends with someone like Ron; they were opposites in many ways. He disliked every kind of sport, while Ron was madly into Quidditch. He hated getting a lot of attention while Ron strived to distinguish himself from his older brothers. He was overly studious while Ron had no interest in school work. They were different but that was why they were friends.

"Speaking of visitors- Hermione came to see me earlier and told me that apparently my Dad, James Potter became the Gryffindor seeker in his first year at Hogwarts."

"Wow, that's cool! He'd be one of the youngest seekers ever."

Harry pouted dismally, "It's a shame I didn't inherit the talent. "

"Harry, it was only your first try. It always takes a few tries to figure it out. Oh, that reminds me – Harry could you help me figure out questions?"

"Yes, you don't need to ask."

"What was Binns going on about when he mentioned the 'Basic Laws'?"

"I don't know. Ask me about a subject that actually matters."

Madame Pomfrey came out into the ward to see if Ron was still there, it was obvious that she sensed something. Ron quickly ducked underneath Harry's bed to avoid detection. He was supposed to have left an hour ago. When she had left, Ron came up and picked up a chess set that was on the ground beside him. They had to be very quiet to avoid being caught.

"Do you wanna try and sneak a game?"

"Is that even a question, Ron?"

Ron gave him a light punch to the leg and proceeded to tickle him. Harry tried hard to hold back laughs, leaving him very red faced. This amused Ron, who also had to hold back from laughing himself.

It was good to have friends.

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><p>Severus was reading his latest edition of 'Potion Manufacturing Journal' in his office when Albus burst in uninvited. He continued to read as if undisturbed.<p>

"Severus, you need to explain."

Severus looked up, "Explain what?"

Albus started glaring at him, "Why is Harry Evans your son? He is a splitting image of you and he also has similar resistances to certain spells that he could not have gotten from anyone else."

Severus acted indifferently, "Albus, I had no idea. I thought you would have picked it up before I did. You saw Harry as a baby, did you not?"

"I knew she and James were always just friends. Lily said her child's father was a Death Eater. I saw no reason to upset her by investigating further."

"It could have been worse. It could have been Malfoy or Nott. They were also Lily's clients."

Albus frowned and stroked his beard. It was not turning out to be a good start to the year. Their latest suspicions as to who was trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone were still pointing to Quirrell. That was just because he was a new teacher, not because there was any real evidence against him yet. They did not need the newfound knowledge of Harry Evan's real paternity to ruin the plan that Albus had in mind.

"Severus, you do know what this means for our plans. You cannot have a relationship to Harry other than being his teacher."

"Don't give me that look, Albus. I hate to be the one who tells you the dark truth, but I doubt the Dark Lord will truly care. There are many Death Eaters who have fathered children of muggles through unsavoury means, not to mentions those who had affairs with witches of various blood statuses. Tom actually saw it as 'creating more wizards' and 'purifying the blood of wizards'. I found out long ago that he had fathered numerous children this way himself. In his younger years at least."

Albus shook his head, Severus knew it wasn't a fact that he wanted to acknowledge but had to. He himself had taught young witches and wizards who were born out of such unions. It was sad, but the vast majority of them had gone on to become perfectly normal and functional members of magic society. Most were unaware of their fathers.

"But you are the father of Harry Evans, Tom's enemy. You can't expect to get away from it."

Severus breathed sadly, "I know. It is the best reason as to why I should protect him. I want to be a father he can be proud of, even if he will never know it."

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><p>AN: Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows. Always appreciated.


	6. The Best Christmas

_October 1976_

When he was sixteen, Severus would regularly hide away behind a tree near the Forbidden Forest instead of going inside the castle. It was here that he would spend many hours studying, reading or just daydreaming. He would do nothing else but watch the autumn leaves fall all around him. It was a lovely place that was isolated from the rest of the world around him. His life had been hell over the last year.

He needed to get away from the world at that point of his life. It wasn't long ago that his mother had died, Lily had ended their friendship and the Marauders had given him the ultimate humiliation.

"I never would have found you here if I hadn't been following you all this time. You are really good at hiding."

Severus quickly jumped and took out his wand. It was James Potter.

"What the fuck do you want?!"

"Nothing. I just want to say something."

Severus could tell that there was definitely something amiss with him. His usual arrogance was absent. There was a strange look in his eye; it looked like a mixture of gentleness and sadness. His gang and admirers were not with him. It was all very suspicious.

"What?!" Severus demanded, "Tell me before I hex you."

"Sniv – Severus, Lily told me that your mother died around last Christmas and that your dad is gone as well."

Severus was saddened but he kept his composure. He had hoped that Lily would have kept this a secret from everyone else but since they were no longer friends he guessed that she didn't have any more loyalty to him.

"Well, I've just found out that my parents are going to die soon," Potter continued, "It's not a surprise at their age but still, I'm quite distraught at the prospect of becoming an orphan. I'm only sixteen and they're my only family. I was thinking that I now have at least someone to relate to."

_'Relate to.'_ These words started ringing in Severus' head. He wasn't even sure whether it was really Potter who had said them.

Severus began to seethe through his teeth. How dare Potter say that he could relate to his problems. Potter had been treated like a prince all his life. He had an easy life full of friends and admirers. He had money and talent that other people recognised. He was an arrogant bully who took delight in tormenting others weaker than him. He had absolutely no idea about his life.

Never the less, Potter continued, "Looking back, I was rather unkind to you over all these years. I hope you have it in your heart to forgive me. I'm sorry."

Potter scratched his head and waited for Severus to respond. For the first time, Potter's hazel eyes met Severus' dark ones and were equal. Severus just glared at him for a moment, unsure how to react. He wanted to put Potter in his place and give back some kind of smart retort but no words would come out of his mouth.

'I'm sorry.' He had said those words as if they had the power to undo five whole years of cruelty and resentment. They didn't. Not at all. There was no forgiveness in Severus' heart for Potter or for anyone else for that matter. His insides felt colder than ice.

Before Potter could even blink he was struck by one of Severus' newly invented curses. It was a knockback jinx combined with a confusion hex. It was simple but effective and Potter would be out cold for hours.

Then he just fled, knowing that he would have to find a new hiding place. Potter may have won the war long ago but Severus still had enough courage to keep at least one dignity:

He was never going to forgive him ever.

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><p>Harry was delighted to know that he could spend Christmas at Hogwarts. He was even more delighted to know that he wouldn't be alone as Ron would be staying too. His parents were going to Romania to visit his older brother Charlie. Hermione however, would be seeing her parents.<p>

Harry woke up on Christmas day not expecting to receive any gifts of any kind. There would be no presents as usual but at least he wouldn't have to eat another one of his aunt's wilted salads, the fowl crackling that she made or listen to Aunt Marge talk about her dogs.

"Harry!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs, "Wake up! We've got presents!"

"Presents? For me?" Harry said doubtfully, he had never received many good presents in his life.

"Of course there is, it's Christmas! Duh!" Ron rolled his eyes, "These are yours."

Harry turned to see two packages for him and a letter. There was also a large pile of sweets from admirers but he wasn't as interested in them, he would eat them later. He decided to open the letter first. It was from Hagrid wishing him a Merry Christmas. Enclosed was a quarter that he had collected from the Dursleys when he visited them. He gave the coin to Ron, whose father had a fascination with muggle artefacts. He would have to send Hagrid a letter back thanking him for the Christmas wishes and to tell him that making the Dursleys send him something was more effort that what it was worth.

Harry then picked up the first parcel. It was something soft inside, presumably an item of clothes but he was excited to receive something.

"Oh!" Ron said when he was about to open it, "You might not want to open that, it's from Mum. She makes one for each of us every Christmas. She hasn't even met you and already considers you a part of the family."

Harry opened it to find a knitted maroon jumper with a bright yellow letter 'H' in the front. It wasn't his colour, he hated the itchy feel of wool and it was far too big for him. However none of that mattered, his smiled at the sight of it. It had meant something more to Harry than Ron would realise. The woman had taken her time to knit him something out of kindness and because he was Ron's friend, not because he was famous. He didn't hesitate to put it on.

"I'll have to thank your mother for this. It's wonderful. I love it to pieces."

"She'll be pleased to hear that."

His next present was a bit more enigmatic. It was also soft but it looked too big to be an item of clothes. There was also no sender, only a note that said _'You inherited this when a wealthy man died in the hope that he would be forgiven for the mistakes he had made in his life. It is time it was given to you.'_

"What does that mean? Who?"

Harry shook his head, "No clue."

Inside was a silvery, majestic piece of cloth. It felt softer than velvet when he ran his fingers through it. He could see intricate patterns woven through it.

"I know what that is!" Ron exclaimed, "An invisibility cloak - they're really rare. Try it on."

When he wrapped the cloak over his body the rest of him completely disappeared. It was exactly what he wanted his entire life – something that could render him invisible.

"Wow!" was all that Harry could say, he was lost for words. This was already the best Christmas he had ever had.

His mind was quickly beginning to think of plans, particularly plans to try and find out about Nicholas Flamel. There were also the pranks he could play on other students, particularly Draco Malfoy.

They had gone on to eating all the sweets they had been given and joking around.

_Tap, Tap, Tap. Caw. Caw._

They unexpectedly turned around to find a crow sitting at the windowsill. It looked like it was carrying something.

"A crow?" inquired Harry, "I didn't know you could send things by crow."

"Hmm… I haven't heard of anyone being sent anything by crow other than a death notification," said Ron, "People who send presents or general letters by black birds are really quite odd but that's according to Mum."

"We better see what it is and who it is for."

They opened up the window to let the crow in. With unusual strength for a bird its size, it lifted a stack of five books packaged together by string into the room. Ron picked up a piece of parchment placed at the top.

"It's for you Harry."

"For real?"

Ron handed him the card and written in typewriter font was 'To Harry Evans.' That was all, there was no clue as to who the giver was or wishing of Merry Christmas.

"They are quite odd," Ron concluded based on this.

Harry however took one look at the stack of books and gasped with excitement. Somebody had known exactly what books he had wanted, all the latest edition of series he was reading. He had no idea as to who would have known him so well. It was a very thoughtful (though creepily intrusive) gesture.

"They are exactly what I've been saving up my money for when I was with the Dursleys."

"Who do you think would know?"

"I don't know, I've never told anyone. Is it possible to read minds in the wizarding world?"

"I don't know."

_Caw._

They turned to realise that the crow was still there. An owl would have flown away a while ago. It crooked its head at them and looked at them in a pleased way that Harry thought was impossible for birds to mimic. Ron began to shoo it away. It promptly flew out of the window and disappeared into the snowy sky.

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><p>Hogwarts at night was very different to Hogwarts during the day. The usual enigmatic and mystical vibrance that was present during daylight was replaced by something more sinister. It was as if the place was engulfed by dark menacing shadow. Harry felt like the castle had slowly accumulated deep, dark secrets over the centuries.<p>

He now regretted his decision to skip out of bed to try and find information about Nicolas Flamel in the restricted section in the library. So far he had only picked up a book that had started screaming at him as soon as he opened it, which attracted the likes of Argus Filtch. Filtch had the pleasure of patrolling the corridors at night, making sure that there were no students out of bed. Harry had managed to avoid him by slim chance and not to mention invisibility.

As he made his way through the corridors at night, he was struggling not to trip over his invisibility cloak. In his attempt to avoid Filtch, he had become lost. He was now in an odd room that only contained a large mirror. Curiosity drew him further to have a closer look.

It was old and dusty like everything else in the unused classroom. Prompted against the wall, it looked like something that didn't belong there; something that was merely placed here to be put out of the way. Inscribed on the top of the frame was; _'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi'_. It was like another language but of what language he had no idea, maybe it was just gibberish.

What he saw in the mirror was more captivating. Standing beside him was a beautiful young woman with long red hair and green eyes the same as his. Her face lit up when she saw him, as if she couldn't get enough of the sight of him, but she seemed so sad. It was as if life had been hard on her and broken her spirit. His heart raced, he was seeing his mother for the first time - he hadn't even seen pictures of her. She was covered in black from head to toe, dressed sensibly and eccentric. She didn't look like a prostitute at all, just different. His aunt was doubtless lying about her all this time.

On the other side of him was another woman, she seemed to be middle aged or just looked older because she wasn't very beautiful. She was dark haired and had a sullen look on her face. She was also extremely pleased to see him and was crying a little out of happiness. Harry assumed that she was either an aunt or other female relative of his father's side of the family. Perhaps she was his grandmother but had died young.

There were also an older couple who looked like they could have been his muggle grandparents. His grandfather and grandmother were wearing clothes commonplace for the seventies. They were also happy to see him - his grandmother was even nodding her head in approval. They looked like lovely, friendly people. He remembered Aunt Petunia mentioning that her parents died in a car accident. Whether this was true or not was questionable, she did lie about his mother's death.

He spent hours just looking at them, wishing that his dead family would be alive with him on the other side of the mirror and not merely looking in. Never-the-less, he returned back to the Gryffindor common room to sleep when he felt too tired.

The next night Harry decided to take Ron to see the mirror.

"Do you see them? Do you see my family?" Harry said with excitement.

Ron just stood there with his mouth open.

"No, I'm alone. But I'm different - I'm head boy."

"What?"

"I am – I'm wearing the badge like Bill use to and I'm holding both the House Cup and Quidditch Cup too. I'm the Quidditch captain! Harry, do you think this mirror shows the future?"

"How can it? My family is dead."

The night after that Harry went to the mirror again, though alone. He couldn't get enough of seeing his family. His mother was pleased to see him back and the sullen woman brightened up merely at the sight of him. There was nothing to stop him spending the entire night here. Nothing at all.

"So – back again Harry?

Harry jolted and turned to find Albus Dumbledore standing behind him. He had never quite seen the headmaster in his entire entirety. His long robes and long silvery beard reminded Harry of the typical wizards of fairytales, fantasy novels and cartoons.

"How did you come here? I didn't see you come in." Harry inquired.

"Strange how near-sighted being invisible can make you," Dumbledore stated ambiguously, "There are other ways of becoming invisible."

"Professor Dumbledore, what does this mirror do?"

"I'll give you a clue - the happiest man in the world would look into the mirror and see nothing but his own reflection."

"So it shows us our desires?"

Dumbledore nodded, "It shows nothing more and nothing less than the deepest desires of our hearts. This mirror show neither truth nor fact. Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible. Many have gone mad.

"That is why the Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, Harry, and I ask you not to go looking for it again. If you ever do run across it, you will now be prepared. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Harry thought about this, it seemed profound. It was a while before Harry spoke again.

"Sir, I don't see any father or grandfather in this picture. Was James Potter really my father?"

"No," Dumbledore said gently, "He is not your father but don't worry about that. It is the heart that what makes real family, not nature. Your living family have not made much contribution to your life - so far."

Harry instantly understood what he meant, "Sir, I'm really sorry to have to ask you this, but was my mother really a whore?"

Dumbledore shook his head, "Your mother was one of the bravest women I've ever had the privilege of knowing. She was wonderful, pure and took excellent care of the people she loved."

To an eleven year old Harry, this meant that his mother was not what he feared. There was a small silence, a good and comforting silence. He was pleased to know that Dumbledore was not angry with him.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?"

Dumbledore looked at him and smiled, "I see myself holding a new pair of socks. I never get any new socks, people always insist on giving my books. Now I think it is time for you to go to back."

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><p><em>AN: I know you all might be irritated with me for not revealing to Harry that Snape is his father. I've decided to leave that for later. Please be patience. I don't want to reveal it so early. So far, all Harry really knows is that Potter is not his actual father. The reason why Snape is not seen is because Harry wants to see his dead relatives rather than his living ones (aka The Dursleys). It goes back to his childhood wish of wanting an unknown relative to whisk him away from the Dursleys. (That's just what I've made up to explain myself.) You all can probably figure out who the sullen looking lady is. There aren't too many other relatives, especially on Severus' side of the family. Severus' mother was estranged from her pureblood fanatic relatives and his father had nothing to do with his life and therefore nothing to do with Harry's._

_I tried to make this chapter as close to the novels as possible. Thank you for reading - reviews, follows and favourites are always welcome._


	7. Detention with Snape

Harry had quickly finished all the books that had been given to him by a stranger over Christmas as well as used his new invisibility cloak to sneak around. Harry had a burning desire to discover the identity of his mysterious present giver, though only slightly more that the whole Philosopher's Stone theory.

Potions class began as per usual, with most of the non-Slytherin students dragging themselves inside for another unwanted encounter with Professor Snape. Neville Longbottom made an effort to sit around him, Hermione and Ron as a safety precaution. The Gryffindor students attempting to

"Harry, do you think a fan would have sent you those books?" Hermione whispered, still trying to gather ideas as to who his secret gift giver was.

"Jeez, I hope not! It would be nice and stuff, but overly creepy. I might have ended Voldemort's reign but I was only a baby for goodness sakes - it's not something I set out to do. Also, the person who sent me these must have known that I didn't really have a family. They must have known me well."

She thought about this, "Do you think it might have been Dumbledore?"

"Dumbledore would never have a crow," Ron said, very unchanged in his position about this, "That would be just weird. Whoever this is both a weird person and knows Harry really well. Maybe they can read minds."

"Anyway," Harry was hoping to continue this subject at another time without so many ears around them, "Do you think we should help Hagrid in regards to his current problem?"

To the trio's horror, Hagrid had hatched a dragon's egg. It was a Norwegian Ridgeback he christened Norbert. Now the young hatchling was growing too big and he had to get rid of it.

"Well, we kinda have to? Don't we?" Ron whispered with a worried look, "I mean; my brother really is the only person who can help him."

"I really hope he doesn't set my robe on fire." Harry said with a frown; they knew he wasn't talking about just any 'robe.' They had to sneak out under the invisibility cloak at night to sort this out – something that would get them into a lot of trouble if caught.

The door to Snape's office burst open and out stepped Snape, obviously in a fouler mood than usual. His black eyes were more piercing. His black hair was greasier than usual and there was the smell of overcooked potion on him.

The entire class fell silent. They all feared what Snape was going to do and say to them. For whatever reason, he was unhappy and was going to take his anger out on them. Harry had the suspicion that one of his potions went terribly wrong.

"Class," his voice was snide but not loud, "Time to take out homework."

Harry, Ron and Hermione had completed theirs but Harry quickly noticed that Neville's was only partially completed. He probably had trouble understanding it.

He turned around the class starting with Lavender Brown.

"Why is your homework not completed?"

Lavender was slow to answer; she just looked up at him shyly with her cheeks turned pink.

"…B-b-b-because I just lost it…"

"Well, you should have placed it in a better place. I will not take that as an excuse – 10 points from Gryffindor."

Lavender started crying. Snape paid no attention to this and merely continued checking the class, some of which had previously learnt the hard way about not doing potions homework. Snape stalked though the classroom like a rabid wolf ready to snap. He passed students quickly skimming though their work. He passed some without a word and others he merely shook his head. He nodded at Draco Malfoy's and another Slytherin boy. Harry was pleased when Crabbe and Goyle received detention. When he passed Harry and Hermione he muttered something on the lines of 'Good work.'

He stopped at Neville, who was hunched over his paper like a turtle hiding in its shell.

"Neville Longbottom, let me see your work."

Neville reluctantly pulled out the paper for Snape to see.

Snape frowned and muttered, "Tutt, Tutt, Tutt. I gave all of you an extra week to complete your assignment and you present this. You failed, but of course, that can be expected from you."

This made Harry upset, "Well he did complete some of it. He just had trouble understanding it, that's no reason to be so mean to him."

The whole class gasped, believing that Harry was done for. Snape's pale face turned bright red.

"Well, Mr Evans you have earned yourself a week of detentions - starting here tomorrow afternoon."

There was another gasp from the class. Snape had never given anyone (not in first year) a week's worth of detentions before. The idea of one detention from him was traumatic enough; he didn't even give Neville detentions. Harry realised that he would have to stop standing up for Neville if he didn't want more trouble than he already had. He couldn't help it though.

After that, Snape continued the lesson as if nothing ever happened. Leaving Harry thinking there was much more to Snape than what reached the eye. There was something about him that had an effect on the sarcastic, moody professor.

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><p>It was late afternoon and Severus remembered that he had to reorganise the room for detention. He would have much preferred to keep on working on his new experimental alternative Wolfsbane potion but students had to be punished. He didn't take cheek from any of them.<p>

With a no more than a swish of his hand, the smoke that had seeped out of his cauldron and into the classroom instantly dissipated. A second wave of his wand made the classroom more organised and got rid of any bits of rubbish or vandalism on desks. Pieces of used Waddley's Wibblegum stuck under desks were removed. Severus believed that students grew more and more disgusting as time went by.

Pieces of parchment also materialised on the desks with quills and ink beside them. He made sure that there were exactly three pieces of paper for each of the seven students that had detention. They would have to write lines of course, usually related to what rule they had broken.

He would be glad once this detention was over; he wanted to go back to what he was doing…. But there was more to it. He didn't want to deal with Harry in detention.

The boy was turning out to be a rebel. His protection of Neville Longbottom took Severus completely by surprise. His mother would have done something similar. It was in her nature to look after people.

It was four thirty - time for detention but he expected most of them to be late. Typical.

Eloise Midgen was the first to arrive, eager to get her detention over and done with. She was obviously afraid of him – she rarely looked at his face, hardly if ever spoke in class and stirred her small pewter cauldron warily. She was here because the essay she was supposed to have written about healing potions was very unsatisfactory. A typical detention for a Hufflepuff.

Harry came in without a word. He was wide-eyed; he obviously hadn't been in this much trouble with a teacher before. He looked unsure of what to do. His bright eyes met Severus' for a moment and in a glimpse he could see that the detention was unfair. It was unlikely that Severus would be his favourite teacher. He looked at the papers in front of him and frowned.

"Sir, do I have to fill out all the four pages of lines?"

"Yes, Evans. You and Midgen can start now. Midgen, I want you to write on this piece of paper all you actually know on healing potions. Evans, you have to complete your homework here."

Eloise frowned in distain. Harry shrugged; it's what he would have done with his afternoon anyway.

Shortly after came Chrysanthemum Selwyn. He could hear her coming down the stairwell to the Dungeons as she had a habit of talking to people as she walked by. Severus had given her a week's detention for being her usual rowdy and loud self. She was always experimenting with fashion. Today she had blaring magenta hair and sky blue eye shadow. Just looking at her gave him a headache.

Severus gave her instructions to do four pages of 'I must not scream and yell in class like a Cornish pixie being strangled.' He stormed over to his desk and sat down. He was determined to ignore her and her loud, boisterous ways.

Chrysanthemum sat in the desk besides Harry. She instantly turned to Harry, "Hi Harry, I'm Chrystie Selwyn – fifth year. Pleased to meet you. I see you sitting in the common room reading or with your friends from time to time. Snape rarely gives firsties detention – not for a week anyway. You must have pissed him off something shocking. How'd ya get here?"

"Oh, I just stood up for my friend. He didn't like that.

He watched the girl smile. The Gryffindor house supported this kind of behaviour of each other. It really was appalling. He didn't want Harry in their house.

"Well I never. Good on you. Snape's an old …"

"Silence Chrysanthemum! Harry – get back to work."

He could see Chrysanthemum shake her head and place her head down. Harry did the same.

It was a couple of minutes before the late arrivals came. Willow Whatley waltzed in unaware that she was late. Severus was convinced that her body clock was set half an hour late. Long ago back when she was a first year he had decided that Willow was a strange girl, even for a Ravenclaw. She was a silent, absorbed girl whose mind was always buzzing with ideas and stories. Her only saving grace was that she had just enough intelligence to pass her exams. She sat down behind Chrysanthemum and started to do her usual lines, this time it was because she failed to hand in a few essays. It wasn't long before Willow started humming to herself. It was a queer, aimless tune that one would have expected from a small child.

Then came the deliberately lates. The Weasley twins came in followed by a hopeless Hufflepuff misfit that was such a wallflower that Severus did not even bother trying to remember his name. There was the spirit of usual apathy and detestation about them that they reserved for his detentions.

"Hey, What's Harry doing here?" Asked one of the red haired boys.

"He's only a boy, goodness gracious professor." Said the other.

"Silence, both of you. Now get to your lines."

The boys did as he said. Within a couple of minutes of watching the children, his mind wandered elsewhere. His thought returned to Quirrell, he had been paranoid about the man all day. The man was a pathetic wimp. He was supposed to have been an excellent student in the Defense Against the Dark Arts but apparently theory did not translate to practical experience. Yet, Severus felt that there was something sinister about the man. It was only once he took up the post that there had been threats towards the stone's placement in the third corridor. Dumbledore had been right to take the stone out of Gringott's. Knowing Voldemort's pathological fear of death, Severus knew that the Dark Lord would pursue any method possible of achieving everlasting immortality.

It wasn't long before Eloise Midgen came up to him with her paper. He skim read it with the usual apathy that he reserved for reading student's work. It was of acceptable standard. He looked up at the awkward pimply-faced teenage girl with a shrug.

"This is acceptable. I will only accept this kind of work in the future."

Eloise simpered and went back to her desk to collect her things. She was smarted than she thought she was. She didn't hesitate to leave.

One of the Weasley twins looked up.

"Sir," He said confused, "But why is Harry here? He didn't do anything wrong."

Severus replied in his usual snide way, "That is not really of any of your concern, is it?"

Chrysanthemum joined in, "Yeah, it's not fair that he gets detention. He's only 11."

He turned to see Harry looking up to him. He looked like he was proud to have the older students stand up for him as he did for Neville.

"In case you haven't noticed, life isn't fair. Now get back to your work."

"But it can be," said the Hufflepuff boy.

"Besides, we've already finished," Said Chrysanthemum, and she brought out her parchment. Surely enough, there were the lines 'I must not be unspeakably rude in class and must listen to my professor' written on the pages. She couldn't have completed it all during the time she was here.

He looked straight into her eyes and saw that she and the others in his detention had come up with a plan. They would right lines before the detention, hide it in their sleeves, replace it with the blank bits of parchment and give it to him. He had a feeling Harry's new found friend Ronald Weasley, had told his brothers about the detention.

Usually he would have made up a spiteful threat, but he didn't. Not because he was ashamed to be beaten by them, he didn't really care about that, but because he didn't want Harry to see him as a brute or an enemy. He would not win the battle this time.

"If you have finished your paper you can leave. Harry has to stay behind."

To his surprise all of the older students got up and left. Even Willow.

"I hope he doesn't hurt Harry," Chrysanthemum muttered to the twins.

One of the twins shook his head, "I don't think he will, Dumbledore would hex him."

They all left to leave Harry alone with him. Severus didn't know what to say to him or really what to do. Harry just sat there looking back at him with a mixture of fear and confusion as to what he would do next. He put a hand to the side of his face to look at him in a pensive way, he expected his professor to do something.

He used small opportunities to find more about the boy with Legimency. He was a bright boy with a powerful sense of morality and justice. He was as good natured as his mother had been. It was her blessing of love that had protected him mentally against the neglect of the Dursleys' as well as shielded him physically away from the Dark Lord. Severus hated Lily's muggle sister Petunia from the moment he set eyes on her when they were children, but he did not imagine that she would neglect her sister's only child. He shouldn't have been surprised; Petunia had left her sister to become a prostitute after their parents had died for no reason other than her own spiteful jealously. He had to think of something, some way to convince Albus to place him in another home. Surely there were better ways to keep him safe than through transferring a spell to his closest blood relative.

These days the boy was contriving with his friends. Severus used the boys mind as a gateway to knowing what he was up to. He and his friends had already found out who Nicholas Flamel was and about the Philosopher's stone. He understood that the children were only concerned with what was going on but it was wrong for them to be involved in adult affairs, especially with things that could put their lives in danger. The old saying was true, curiosity could kill a cat.

But there was no way that Severus could curb this behaviour with chastising. He would just have to protect Harry from a distance. He really hoped that his son would change his mind about helping Hagrid give his new baby Norwegian Ridgeback dragon to Ron's Dragonologist brother Charlie. He didn't want the boy walking around the castle at night. Especially with Dark Lord somehow lurking around the grounds.

He decided to walk over to him and check his work, "Evans, show me your work."

Harry gave him his papers. He took a good look at them. They were good, considering his age. He was glad that the boy had inherited the abilities of his parents.

"These are very good, Harry. You know that."

"Yes sir." Normally he would have been too humble admit such a thing but at the present moment, determined to stand up again to his professor.

"Fine. You can go now." Severus dismissed him with a flick of his hand, "You'll be doing some more work tomorrow. I'll easily think of something."

The boy turned to go. It looked like he wanted to say something but he was conflicted as to whether he actually should.

"Hey Professor," Harry turned to him before exiting the potion's classroom, "I've asked a few people this but they have all said 'no'. Have you known anyone who has a crow or even a raven instead of an owl?"

"Well, Harry. Socially, it's not considered normal to keep a crow. They are associated with death and misfortune."

"Well, that's pretty much what everyone says. But do you know anyone?"

Severus knew what Harry was talking about. He was eager to know who sent him the presents for Christmas. He had once met a dark witch in Germany who had a raven as a messenger but she was of no concern to Harry. He honestly didn't know anyone who kept a crow for a

He replied, "No, Harry. I don't know anyone."

Harry shrugged disappointedly and left carrying his bag filled with books. All alone, Severus smiled. He couldn't quite remember the last time that he had smiled.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading reviews, favourites and follows are always appreciated and welcome.


	8. The Forbidden Forest

_A/N: Sorry, but I finally found some spare time to post this. Reviews, favourites and follows are always welcome._

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><p>"Wait until my father hears about this. This is servant stuff. Dumbledore will never hear the end of this…"<p>

As they walked through the Forbidden Forest, Harry tried to keep a look out for anything that could possibly be dangerous. It was dark, and he had very little clue as to what creatures could be lurking in the forest. The Forbidden Forest was intended to be banned from students and with good reason – it was dangerous. Harry spent long enough in the Wizarding World to know that magical beasts tended to be more dangerous than normal animals that one would find in parks or zoos. He had no idea why the school would permit going into the Forbidden Forest as a punishment let alone a detention for first year students. Harry had no regrets about giving Norbert to Ron's brother Charlie though, other than losing 50 points from Gryffindor – which made him even more unpopular with the other students.

"My father is on the school board…"

Harry really wished Malfoy would be silent. He didn't seem to care or notice that Hermione, Neville, Hagrid and himself were deliberately ignoring him.

"…He would be flabbergasted that I would be given such a disgusting task with a big half-"

"Shut up, Malfoy – I doubt he would be happy to hear that you have been sneaking out of bed after hours." Hagrid interjected, he obviously had enough of Malfoy's voice.

Malfoy made what sounded like a small whine and became silent. Even though he could not see him, Harry knew that Draco would be sulking. Harry wanted to mutter a quick 'thanks' to Hagrid but decided that this was not the place or the time.

Harry didn't like going into the forest. He could just see the outlines of trees ahead of him, the firm trunks stood before him like giant feet stuck into the ground; it was like the trunks stood as barriers forbidding him to enter. The whole place had a musty smell, like they were walking into a cloud of gas. Harry assumed that he would have liked the place if he were here during the daytime when there was light to guide him, to let him see what was before him, but there wasn't and at the present moment he hated being here. He hated to admit it, but he was terrified.

For a period of time, they all walked together in deathly silence. Nobody dared to talk. As much as Harry respected Hagrid, he didn't like that Hagrid seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with walking around at night in a forest filled with magical creatures, many of them dangerous. He was glad however, that Hagrid apologised about their trouble with Norbert and promised to make it up to them later.

"But what if whatever's been attacking it is still there?" Hermione said in a worried tone.

Hagrid shrugged, "Maybe, I hope not. I don't know what it is. It'd have to be something that is fast enough to catch a unicorn."

"A werewolf?" Neville asked timidly.

"Definitely not," Hagrid firmly shook his head, "werewolves aren't fast enough and it's not full moon."

"See that-" Hagrid pointed to the ground, there were small droplets of a shimmering silver substance, "Unicorn blood, it means that we're close. Come on."

"Now," Hagrid said in a quiet voice, "By the looks of it, I think we'd better split up. Harry and Malfoy, you'll go with Fang. He'll protect you. Hermione and Neville, yer comin' with me. I assume you all know how to send red sparks if yer in trouble. The sooner we find the poor creature, the better."

So Harry and Malfoy went one way with Fang while Hagrid took Hermione and Neville the other.

"I'm holding on to his leash," Malfoy said in his usual drawling tone, "That way, if you get lost you'll be left all alone."

"Whatever," Harry sighed, not wanting to have an argument with Malfoy in this situation, "I'm keeping the lamp."

They continued to walk in silence. Harry noticed that there was more and more unicorn blood appearing beneath their feet, droplets slowly became silver pools that shone under the moonlight. Fang sniffed at the ground, his sense of smell was leading them closer to the unicorn. They looked like spills of mercury – Harry wondered if unicorn blood had high mercury content.

"It's entirely your fault, you and your insufferable git of a girlfriend. It's your fault that I'm here. You didn't have to smuggle the stupid little dragon up to the tower."

Harry responded with anger, "Well, you didn't have to get out of bed to try and get us into trouble. If it wasn't for you, we all wouldn't be in this mess. So shut up."

"No, you shouldn't have been out of been out after hours in the first place. I think-"

"I don't care what you think, Malfoy."

Suddenly, they heard a rustle and a growl. They both turned to see the unicorn before them, lying lifelessly on the ground. Harry was horrified to the core; a creature so intrinsically good and beautiful was slain so brutally. Harry hadn't been any more shocked and disgusted in his life.

Took one step towards it and then froze to see a cloaked figure kneeling before it, devouring its blood like an animal would eat prey. It turned to look at them to reveal unicorn blood dripping from its face. It let out a low inhuman growl then swooped out of the shadows towards them, levitating as if it did not have any feet. Harry, Malfoy and Fang all stood there transfixed.

"AARGGHH!" Malfoy screamed and bolted away, taking fang with him. Harry listened as Malfoy's screams and Fang's barks became fainter and fainter as they ran into the distance.

Harry stood there alone armed with only a lamp in hand against the hooded figure. The creature slowly coming towards him was pure, conscienceless evil and it was over twice his size. His whole body was trembling. He had no idea what to do and he knew it was stupid to think that he could possibly out run a creature that could catch a unicorn. A piercing pain erupted on his forehead; his scar was hurting but more painful than he had previously known it to. The pain became so sharp that he fell to the ground, leaving him immobile and defenceless against the monster. Harry believed that he was done for; the creature would surely kill him too.

Unexpectedly, Harry could hear the sound of hooves coming closer. He looked up expecting another unicorn to try and defend the death of the other one but instead there was a huge half-man, half-horse running straight for the hooded figure. It was a centaur and it was defending him.

With a powerful whinny and sharp kicks of its hind legs, the figure glided away back into the shadows, fleeing the centaur and leaving Harry. The pain that Harry had experienced had dissipated as quickly as it had come, leaving behind only a tingling sensation on his forehead. He got up on his feet as fast has he could manage.

"Thank you," He said politely but cautiously to the centaur, as he had no idea if the centaur could understand English. Maybe it wasn't defending him at all.

The centaur turned to him, with a facial expression that Harry could only interpret as concern, "Human foals should not be here, it is far too dangerous, especially for one like you Harry Evans."

"Sir," Harry said timidly, he had very little idea of what he should say, "What was that thing? Why did it kill the unicorn?"

The centaur flicked its ears and bent down to meet Harry at face level, "It is a monstrous thing to slay a unicorn. Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."

Harry gasped, "But who would want such a life?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Harry Evans."

Harry thought for a minute, remembering the pain in his scar. He thought about what kind evil would kill something as benevolent and innocent as a unicorn for purely for its own gain. The thought about something that would kill anything and anyone in its path just to get what it wanted. It was the kind of evil that killed his mother and left him an orphan. An evil that had hurt so many people.

"It's Voldemort, isn't it?" He whispered lightly.

The centaur nodded solemnly, "Now what do you think he is after?"

Harry's eyes widened as all the puzzle pieces were falling into place.

"He wants something stronger to bring him eternal life. He wants the philosopher's stone to make the Elixir of Life. He'll pursue it at any cost."

The centaur nodded again, then spoke "It is very strange, Harry Evans, that you of all wizards were the only that Voldemort could not kill. Wizards with exceptional skill, noble hearts and prestigious birth have tried and ended up dead beneath his feet. How strange that a boy who's birth status in the greater eyes of Wizarding society is deemed low enough to be considered an instant outcast, is able to survive an attack by the most evil wizard of all time? It is stranger that they would celebrate him as a hero."

Harry did not know what to reply, he felt embarrassed that even a centaur knew about his mother's former profession and that he had no proven father.

The centaur continued, "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times. Things have been wrong for some time. Well, I will allow you this once to get on my back, most centaurs would find this degrading but the sooner you are out of the forest the better."

And so, Harry was brought back to Hagrid and the others on the back of the centaur. He was glad to see that the others were fine (well, maybe not as much for Malfoy). However the centaur that saved him, Firenze, angered the two centaurs that Hagrid had found to help when they found out that Firenze had 'let a human ride on his back as if he were a common mule.' However Firenze did not seem too concerned that he had offended members of his own race, believing that protecting Harry was important in defending the forest against what he deemed to be an 'upcoming threat'.

Harry left the forest deep in thought, feeling deeply troubled. The fears that he was feeling needed to be acted upon soon or else the consequences would be severe.

* * *

><p>Severus was both surprised and suspicious that Albus had called for a meeting on the top of the astronomy tower at midnight. It was unusual that Albus wanted to see him somewhere other than his office but Severus supposed that information they would be talking about was so sensitive at the moment that he didn't want the portraits in his study to overhear him.<p>

When Severus arrived, he found Dumbledore looking out onto the forest in the distance admiring the landscape, humming to himself. He had caught Dumbledore doing this numerous times before, but never the same tune twice.

"Good evening, Severus."

"Evening, Albus." Severus replied, "Has Hagrid returned with Harry yet?"

"Not yet," Albus turned to him and frowned, in a way that was strange for his uncommonly calm demeanour. He was just as concerned about the children as Severus was.

Severus was not amused, "They shouldn't be out there in this current situation. What is Hagrid thinking of taking them out there? This will only end terribly. His assumption that all magical beasts can be sweet and cuddly as well as his laissez-faire approach to child-minding will only end in tragedy someday …"

"Remember that I've let you be a teacher after all these years despite the mountain of complaints from parents."

"That is irrelevant," Severus lamented, "You should not have allowed Harry to be lead into the forest. Especially with what is happening. I'm positive that Quirrell is there with Voldemort acting on his behalf right now, drinking unicorn blood as we speak."

"He is, but I doubt that he will be in a position to attack Harry. He is too weak, but still elusive enough to keep away from me. It would be foolish of us to attack him outright. How will it look if we just attacked him? The piece of Voldemort's soul that is with him will simply attach itself to something else and we will have to start looking for it all over again. Besides, Quirrell is a coward and a fool – his true colours will show themselves soon and then will be the time to act."

"It is still not right for you to do that. I hate the way you act like this is all just an orchestra with you appointed as the conductor."

"We must tread carefully. Harry will be fine tonight. If something does happen, I believe that Hagrid be taking excellent care of him."

He hated when Albus acted like this. His whole 'I don't have to explain myself' attitude was not endearing when he had to just hope that Albus had everything planned out for the best. Not to mention his lack of general concern for common sense and safety.

Severus and Albus fell silent. For a moment, they did nothing but stare at the forest, hoping to see some sign of Hagrid and the children. The place lit up only by the light enlightening from the moon and the stars above.

"It is a powerful thing, love." Albus continued in his usual absentminded tone, "The protection that Lily had sacrificed herself to save Harry with is the most powerful spell I have ever come across. No ordinary witch or wizard could have pulled off something like that. Love that deep lasts well after death. It is a mark, deeper and far more potent than the one that Tom left on his forehead. It would have taken true strength, especially when you consider how frail and weak her depression had made her. After everything she had been through."

"Lily was never an ordinary witch."

"I only hope that her sacrifice can protect him as long as possible. At least he seems to have settled in just fine at Hogwarts."

"Albus, he has a difficult journey ahead. It doesn't help that he is being bullied by the Malfoy boy."

"It is important to remember that Draco's attitudes are the reflection of both the beliefs instilled on him by Lucius and poor, overindulgent parenting."

"Speaking of poor parenting, I want to talk to you about the Dursleys. I have seen that they have been horrible guardians for Harry. If it wasn't for Lily's protection, he would be a little monster by now."

Albus shook his head, "I have worked it out that Lily's sacrifice can be extended to her living relatives – that includes her sister, Petunia Dursley. I understand that you disliked her, even as a child. She is her only closest living relative. I know that she, her husband and son are awful for him to have to live with but the most important thing was that Harry was safe from Tom. That was all that mattered. I find it distasteful that she transferred all of her resent and jealousy over magical abilities that Lily inherited to Harry."

"I think not having any family would be better than ones that are abusive and neglectful. Look at what happened to me."

"Well, you can't just whisk him away."

Severus had to agree; he couldn't just take Harry from the Dursleys and take care of the boy himself or put him with people he did not know. He watched as Albus walked over to pick up something that was underneath one of the benches. It was a sleek, silvery cloth. Severus had been through enough experiences to know what it really was.

"Potter's old invisibility cloak," Severus said with eyes widened, he was surprised to see it. He remembered the countless pranks that Potter played on him using that cloak.

"Yes, Harry must have left it here when he was giving the dragon to Charlie Weasley. James endowed it to Harry as well as everything else he owned in his will."

Severus frowned distastefully, "I know. Even I have to admit that is was a good way to spite his estranged Death Eater cousins, leaving everything to a muggle born prostitute and her son."

"That's not why he did it," Albus shook his head, "He did it as retribution for all the suffering he caused you as a teenager. He wanted Harry to have a better life. James had matured considerably since he left school and was great asset to the Order. Besides, you can't hold on to a grudge forever Severus."

Severus scoffed. He didn't believe that a spoilt brat like Potter would be capable of such altruism.

"Well," He said, "Forgiveness isn't one of my best qualities."

"I know…" Albus was quiet before speaking again, "The only reason why Potter is dead is because I was borrowing his cloak to study it, to uncover its qualities. He could have easily hid from the Death Eaters that night using his cloak. For that, I feel partially responsible for his death."

Albus frowned and shook his head in remorse. Albus rarely expressed emotion but when he did, it was strong and genuine. Severus ran his hand over the cloak; it was finer and softer than silk. The cloak was something magnificent, he could feel a peculiar magic illuminating from it. It was a cloak that would be invisible forever, never losing its power and impervious to all charms including revealing charms. There were none like it. He remembered the old tales that his mother had read to him when he was a child. He recognised what it really was instantly.

He decided to comfort Albus, "You were not the one who killed him."

He then continued, "I doubt that Potter appreciated it's full worth or for what it really is. I bet he only liked it because he could use it for pranks."

"James did not know what it really but he did love to use it. It was passed down to him from his direct ancestors. It was the last thing that directly reminded him of his parents. Now it belongs to Harry. I should go now, and return it to Harry's dorm before he gets back. He must be worried sick about it."

"Ok, I'll see you later Albus."

Albus turned away and left with a small 'pop', leaving Severus on the tower riddled with anxiety. He only felt alright again once he spotted a group of lamp lights leaving the forest.


	9. At Crossroads

_A/N: Just a re-edit of my last chapter._

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><p>"Severus, do you realise that Albus does not take decisions lightly," Minerva McGonagall muttered to him on a side glance, while they both sat next to each other in the staff quarters, "I've seen time and time again that the plans he has executed have always been for the best, if not the lesser evil."<p>

"I have realised that, Minerva" Severus said in a tone that was just loud enough for her to hear, he didn't want to discuss anything even remotely connected to the plan where they could easily be overheard from staff that were not of the Order, "However, it doesn't mean that I have to agree with it."

"You cannot let personal feelings and unforeseen circumstances rule your personal judgement. Not at a time like this."

From the moment that Harry had sat on the stool to be sorted, they could see that Evans was not Potter's son and began to suspect him based on what they could remember of himself as a boy. His colleagues were far from dim or naive. Although there was no way that they could prove it without crossing serious boundaries, so they would have to bite their tongues. Many of the other Order members such as Hagrid, Flitwick and Minerva, whose respect he had to earn slowly over the years, began to hold him in much higher suspicion than before. It was also clear that although Minerva had described Harry as 'clever and independent for a boy his age', she was distrustful of him as well. Severus used the highest strength of his legilimency skills to gather that she thought of the boy as a kind of 'chip off the old block'. But he didn't need legilimency to know that she was looking forward to seeing a young Potter so much and was just disappointed.

Severus turned to face her, frowned and said without expression, "It is my retribution to do what is right for him before for anyone else. I owe him that as you know. I also don't care how much of an angel you thought Potter was. He's dead."

Minerva's face contorted into an expression of offense, "How rude."

As if he cared two shits about what she thought.

* * *

><p>Harry found it hard to adjust to doing normal school work after the incidence in the Forbidden Forest. He found it an intense struggle to concentrate on his upcoming exams when he knew that there was a real danger around him, waiting for its opportunity to attack him directly.<p>

"Harry," Hermione frowned, "You've only eaten two bites of your toast. We have a big day today, remember."

Harry shrugged, "I know, Hermione. I'm just not hungry at the moment."

"Come to think of it," Ron joined in; it was rare that he and Hermione agreed on something, "You haven't been eating much since what happened in the forest. I don't blame you, but you've just got to eat."

Hermione started to read the letter from her parents that had arrived that morning. Harry couldn't help but admit that he was slightly jealous when his friends received mail but he was used to it. Hermione would get a letter every week from her parents and sometimes even a chocolate bar or magazine if she had done well on an exam. Mrs Weasley would send her sons delicacies that she had baked in her free time to share with their friends or send supplies like quills if they needed them. At least Hermione and Ron's parents weren't like Malfoy's who regularly sent him lollies and other treats, regardless of whether or not he had done anything to deserve them. If only he could find out whom his mysterious gift giver was for Christmas. He also wondered if the gift giver would come next Christmas or even on his next birthday.

He couldn't help but feel the usual loneliness.

* * *

><p>Severus had always kept an eye on Quirinus Quirrell and his stuttering, mumbling presence but ever since the incidence in the Forbidden Forest; Severus was determined to never let him out of his sight. He now had an idea of exactly what he was dealing with. Even for someone who has had his fair share of dealing with the Dark Arts, Severus was disgusted that Quirrell had freely permitted Voldemort to live in his body as a parasite. Even in the days where he was most loyal to the Dark Lord, there were boundaries Severus knew he would never cross no matter how much power and influence he was offered. Severus knew that there were things that were not worth being the Dark Lord's current favourite for. Quirrell had readily sold Voldemort much more than his body and possibly more than his soul. Severus could fathom that only a person who truly believed that they were completely worthless would do such a thing. The man was weak.<p>

Albus' assurances that everything would go according to plan were of no comfort to him. Severus knew that the sooner Quirrell was sorted out the better. Quirrell was becoming more careless, his increasingly eccentric behaviour and inconsistent background stories were becoming more and more pronounced. It was no longer just the other professors that were involved with the protection of the stone that were concerned about Quirrell but surprisingly, a decent proportion of Hogwart's more alert students were as well. There were a few magic sensitive students who felt that he was habouring an evil vibe. Some of his NEWT students asked him a few days ago on how Quirrell could have received his turban from an African prince for defeating a zombie if zombies only reside in South America. He also remembered Marcus Flint telling his friends how he overheard Quirrell having an argument with another voice about finding 'the stone' but found out that he was talking to himself. Luckily, for secrecy's sake, his friends found the story too disturbing and farfetched to believe him.

He had a conversation with Quirrell a while ago in the Forbidden Forest. Being around Voldemort, Quirrell would know that he was supposedly the Dark Lord's secret agent to spy on Albus and he had hoped that Quirrell would possibly come clean with him.

"I don't know why you wanted to meet here of all places, Severus." Quirrell said in his usual timid tone.

Snape replied back in his iciest voice, "Oh, I thought we'd keep this private, students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone after all."

Quirrell started mumbling something inaudible.

"I know what the Dark Lord has sent you here for." Severus interjected, "I am a servant of his as well, and I can help you. That is if your loyalty to him is true. I'm not sure it is, considering how you have been so foolish in your attempts to retrieve the stone. Have you found out a way to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?"

"But Severus, I-I-I-I…" Quirrell stuttered, even though it was obvious that simply feigning ignorance when Severus clearly knew the truth was a big mistake.

"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," He muttered and took a step towards him.

"I don't know what you-"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

"I know the reason for your little bit of hocus pocus recently. I'm waiting."

"But I don't-"

Severus was growing increasingly irate with him. The man still insisted on using the ploy of being a timid, weak idiot. His mind was decided.

"Very well. We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."

Quirrell mumbled something incoherently then scampered away but only before Severus took time to gaze into his eyes. The man's eyes were dead; Severus could tell that the light of life that he could usually see in a person's eyes was gone. The man didn't have a complete soul anymore. From the moment unicorn blood touches one's lips; they had a half-life, a cursed life as an incomplete human being. A life that was not worth living. Even some of the more sinister dark wizards and witches Severus had come across during his life shunned unicorn blood on pure principle. The price of using unicorn blood was not worth the potential benefits. It was a sign that Quirrell was truly desperate and careless.

Severus decided to leave Quirrell, he would simply have to wait until Quirrell's mental state had deteriorated further in the hope that he could extract some information from him. This wasn't what he wanted to do. Time was running out.

* * *

><p>Harry let out a huge sigh of relief, exams were over. He didn't think that he could have survived but he had and now he was simply relaxing with Ron and Hermione. It was great to have some free time where he could stop worrying for at least five minute about either possibly dying or failing his exams.<p>

He was still thinking about the safety of the stone. What if Voldemort already had his hands over it? It would be more trouble than anyone in the Wizarding World had ever known. He was also concerned about other things that had happened around the school. Ghosts whispering to each other more frequently. The Forbidden corridor. A troll escaping from the Halloween Feast. He even heard older students say the school was changing in strange and rather unpleasant ways with bizarre happenings.

"I think I did well." Ron shrugged.

"I'm not so sure I did as well as I could have. I mean I would have gotten more study done if it weren't for the whole Norbert fiasco and the night detention."

"Hermione," Ron said, "You're the best in our year, only just in front of a stressed out Harry and an absentminded Anthony Goldstein – you would have done fine. Bloody hell, don't worry about it. You look more nervous now after the exams than you were after being caught smuggling Norbert to Charlie."

Suddenly, something had just clicked in Harry's mind.

"Speaking of Norbet, doesn't it strike you as odd that what Hagrid wants a dragon more than anything else and a random stranger just happens to have one to give to him? I'm sure most wizards don't just hoard dragon eggs in their pocket regularly. I mean, I'm pretty sure possession of dragon eggs is restricted."

Both of them just looked at him. It was odd.

Harry frowned, "I think we better talk to him."

They found Hagrid sitting on the chair outside his hut playing his flute with not a care in the world.

"Hagrid, we need to talk to you!" Harry blurted.

Hagrid gave them a baffled look; it wasn't every day that some first year students started him by demanding to speak to him.

"Well, what can I do fer ye?" Hagrid said cheerfully as ever.

"That man who gave you the dragon egg at the pub, what did he look like?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid merely shrugged, "I dunno. Don't remember his face, he was wearing a cloak."

"You must remember something about him," Harry said, "What did he want?"

"Oh, we just had a few drinks. We were talking about Hogwarts and he was curious about three headed dogs."

The trio just looked at each other. They all remembered the three headed dog they encounter in the forbidden corridor.

"Well?" Ron said, "What did you say?"

"I told him that I had a dog called Fluffy and that he's such a dear. Just play him a bit of music and he'll fall straight asleep."

The trio started looking at each other. This really was the worst possible scenario. Voldemort was so close to getting the stone.

Hagrid frowned as he realised the impact of what he had just told them, "I shouldn't have told you lot that."

The three of them ran back into the castle, they had to do something, anything to stop Voldemort from grabbing a hold of the stone.

"We have to go in there!" Harry exclaimed, "Tonight!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks for reading. Reviews, favourites and follows are always welcome and appreciated._


	10. The Mirror and the Man with Two Faces

_A/N: I'm back and writing again. Thanks to all reviews, favourites and follows. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year._

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><p>Harry felt like his heart was racing faster than a golden snitch could flutter. As they made their way to the forbidden corridor on the third floor underneath Harry's invisibility cloak, none of them even dared to whisper. They were all thinking about what terrible things could possibly be in the forbidden corridor and what could possibly happen to them. But they also knew that the consequences of Voldemort getting his hands on the stone would be worse, for everyone.<p>

Harry clutched the small flute that Ron borrowed (though without asking) from his brother Percy with a shaking hand. He could feel Hermione shaking beside him and Ron's shallow breathing. The hall was poorly lit and the trio found it hard to walk without tripping on each other or on the cloak.

When they came to the familiar rusting door, Hermione brought out her wand and pointed it towards the lock. "Alohomora."

The door unlocked and was pulled open by a draft. The draft was strong enough to blow off the invisibility cloak. Harry quickly shoved the cloak into his bag; he was reluctant to lose it again anytime soon. Lying in front of them was Fluffy with all three heads in a silent slumber. One of the heads started to sniff and opened its eyes. Before Harry could bring the small flute to his mouth, the whole beast was awake and started barking wildly. If it wasn't for the large chain that acted as a leash, Harry was sure that they would be devoured – one of them for each head.

"Harry!" Ron yelled frantically over the sound of beastly snarling, "Play something!"

Harry was almost too frozen in fear to bring the flute to his mouth. He was elected to play as he was the only one of them to have been given some instrumental lessons (although the Dursleys didn't allow him to go very far with it). He picked Greensleeves as it was his favourite song to play. He began to blow.

Surely enough, the beast began to quieten and become sluggish until it eventually fell to the floor, barely leaving the trap door exposed. They quickly made a break for it, jumping through the trap door without a second thought.

That would be a foolish mistake. They landed in the dark and on what felt to Harry like a pile of worms. It was disgusting. He and Ron both screamed and began to thrash around. Hermione was silent and did not move.

"Hermione? What's wrong with you? This thing is going to strangle you!"

"Stop moving!" Hermione called, "It's Devil's Snare."

"Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help." Ron replied sarcastically.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!"

"Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!"

"Just wait. If you struggle, it'll only pull tighter. If we keep still it will let us down. Relax."

Soon after she said this, she began to sink and fell to the floor beneath with a thud.

"It's ok. Just keep still."

Harry froze still. It took all of his willpower to keep still; the wriggling was going to drive him mad. But slowly, he felt the vines begin to relent and he began to sink, slowly, onto the unseen floor below him. Harry fell to the floor with a thud, glad to be rid of the vines. However, the feel of the vines around him lingered on his skin for some time.

However, Ron was still finding it hard to relax. He kept on struggling despite what Ron.

"It's ok, Ron," Hermione reassured, "Just relax."

"He's not going to relax." Harry told Hermione shaking his head slightly.

"How can I?! This thing is strangling me to death!" Ron yelled.

Hermione began to recite to herself, "Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare, its deadly fun but will sulk in the sun. That's it! Devil's Snare hates sunlight!"

Hermione aimed her wand at the vines, "Lumos soleum!"

A jet of light erupted from Hermione's wand and touched the vines surrounding Ron. The vines made a vile snarling, hissing sound then withered, releasing Ron and allowing him to fall to the ground.

"Thankfully, we're alright." Ron said as he brushed himself off.

"Thankfully Hermione pays attention in Herbology." Harry corrected.

They entered the next room with no time to spare. It was dusty and clustered. They could hear fluttering of wings, Harry looked up to see birds – no, keys with wings flying all around the room. Hundreds of them. There was also broomstick in the middle of the room. On the other side of the room there was a door.

Hermione rushed to the door and cast 'alohomora', to no effect.

"I presume we're going to have to find and catch the key that fits into the lock." Hermione stated glumly.

Ron groaned. Harry was also feeling deflated but he looked around at the keys he noticed a particular one that was older looking, bigger and had a chipped wing.

"Maybe it's that old one over there." Harry pointed at the key in question, "Surely that old key would fit into that old lock. If not, we'll be here all night."

"I'm assuming one of us is going to have to fly up there?" Ron stated.

"Well, seeming as Hermione and I are useless at flying…." Harry said, eager not to have to repeat what had happened when he had tried to get Neville's Remembrall back from Malfoy.

Ron walked over to the broom fearfully, knowing that he was the only one who had a chance of catching the key. At one touch of the broom, all of the keys came rushing towards Ron. He yelled.

"Quick Ron," Harry called, "Grab it. Quickly, you can do it."

Hermione called, "You can do it, Ron!"

Ron yelped in uncertainty as he tried to shoo away the attacking keys with his free arm. It took a while before Ron was able to successfully catch the right key as well as do plenty of yelling in frustration in the process. Ron ripped off the key's wings before throwing the key down. Hermione caught it and opened the door. He and Hermione inside the next room leaving the door open for Ron. Ron managed to just fly in quick enough to avoid being attacked by an angry swarm of keys.

"I am never, ever, EVER, doing that ever again!" said clearly traumatised Ron while he threw the broom to the floor, eager to see the end of it.

They turned around to see a giant chessboard. The pieces were made of beautiful marble, black on their side while white on the other. There were three empty places, one for a queen, one for a king and one for a knight to sit on a black marble horse.

"Woah!" Harry exclaimed, "I assume that we're going to have to play to get to the other side."

Hermione tried to walk over to the other side, the pawns all brought out their swords to block any way though. Flames erupted on the other side. There was obviously no way in hell that they were going to get through any other way.

"I was just checking," Hermione said, clearly embarrassed.

"Hmm…. What's going to happen if we lose?" Harry wondered with a frown.

"We're not going to lose Harry," Ron said, "I've been playing wizarding chess ever since I was young. Harry, we've been versing each other all year. If we can't get through this then we can't play wizarding chess at all. Besides, we need to protect that stone! Harry, you can be a king. Hermione, you're a queen. As for me, I'm a knight."

Harry, knowing that they had no choice, went to stand in the place designated for the king. Between the three of them, they all argued where each piece was going to go before every move was made. It ended up being more arguing that actual chess but they were eventually getting through. Eventually, pawns, castles, bishops, knights and other pieces were all but gone on both sides leaving the three of them, the white queen and the white king.

"There's only one more move to make. You see it, don't you, Harry? Once I make my move, the Queen will take me. Harry, you'll be free to check the king."

"No, Ron you can't!" Harry called.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"He's going to sacrifice himself!"

"Ron, stop! There _must_ be another way."

"No, Hermione," Ron exclaimed glumly, "There is no other way. We need to do this. Do you want the stone to be in you-know-who's hands?"

Hermione just stared back stunned. Harry nodded his head solemnly.

Ron closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Knight to H3."

Ron and his horse advanced to the next square, Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick up. The white Queen turned, advanced slowly towards Ron, then drew her sword and plunged it into Ron's horse, throwing him violently to the ground. Ron wasn't moving.

"Ron!" Harry yelled.

Hermione looked as though she was about to run over to him.

"No, Hermione – don't move. We need to finish the game."

Harry moved three squares diagonally to his left and then turned to face the King.

"Checkmate."

The white king's sword fell to the ground with an ear-splitting thud. Ron jolted but did not get up. For a moment, Harry allowed himself feel relief although it was far from over yet. The flames on the other side vanished, leaving them to cross. They both sprinted over to Ron.

"I'm awake." Ron muttered, "But I don't think I can get up. I think my leg is broken."

"That's ok. Just stay here. Hermione, I can go into the next room alone. I think I'll be alright. Just look after Ron."

"Are you sure, Harry?"

"I'm sure."

She looked at him understandingly, "Just look out for yourself. You're a great wizard, Harry."

"You're a great witch. We couldn't have made it this far if it wasn't for your brains."

"Books and cleverness," Hermione shook her head, "There are more important things in this world, like friendship and hope…"

"Can't you just get a move on already," Ron said impatiently, "Save all the heart-warming stuff for _after_ we save the stone. We're not done yet."

"Shut it, Ron. What are we ever going to do with you?" Harry said jokingly, "I'll be seeing you guys later."

He really hoped that he would be seeing them again soon.

* * *

><p>In the next room there was nothing but a dusty table which had seven potion flasks arranged in a line. All of different shapes and sizes. There was a note next to it. When Harry picked up the note, flames covered the entrance and the exit. The forward entrance had blue flames while the backward had orange flames. He had nowhere to run.<p>

He read the poem. It was a logic puzzle. Now he really wished Hermione was here. He read the poem again and again. He then read it once more to see that there was nothing that he was missing.

'_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find._

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead._

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore.'_

There would be only one potion that would allow him to move ahead. Unfortunately, there were three that were poison – he hoped that he had not chosen one of those. There was also one that would move him back and two nettle wine. The poem gave four clues.

'_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;'_

So Harry concluded that he could note that the biggest and smallest bottles were safe. The three medium sized bottles were presumably not, so he discounted them. Bottles in-between, he was not overly suspicious of but supposed that they could be dangerous.

'_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right,_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.'_

This could suggest that the second left and second right are the nettle wine, unless they were the same kind of poison. However, as one was the largest bottle Harry concluded that they were nettle wine. They would not kill him, although he was in no mood for nettle wine.

'_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide,_

_You will always find some on nettle wine's left side;'_

Considering that the second left and second right are the nettle wine, he could now conclude that to the left of these was poison. These were also medium sized bottles which confirmed his suspicions.

'_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onwards, neither is your friend;'_

Since the first bottle to the left was poison and he already knew the positions of the nettle wines, Harry deducted that the last bottle on the right was the potion that would send him back. This left him torn between two different bottles in the middle, the tiniest bottle or the medium sized bottle. It was either poison or the forward potion. Harry remembered the third clue then chose. He was damn hoping he chose the right bottle.

He drunk the potion and felt relief over not dying, he walked through the blue flames.

* * *

><p>The only thing in this room was the Mirror of Erised. This was the last challenge. The man Harry saw standing next to the Mirror of Erised was not what he imagined Voldemort to be.<p>

"Quirrell? You're here? But why?"

Quirrell did not smile but rather continued to grimace at Harry. It was a death stare.

"Of course," the way Quirrell responded made it sound like a stupid question. The timid disposition as well as the stuttering and twitching that Quirrell once displayed were all gone.

"But why would you want the stone? I thought Volde-"

"Don't you dare speak his name!" Quirrell interrupted, "I was once a weak man, a foolish man. Until I discovered him on my travels and he showed me the way - the truth. That there is no good or evil, only power and those too weak to seek it."

Harry was stunned; he expected to see a fully-fledged Voldemort in front of him. Quirrell was one of the last people Harry would have expected.

"Oh don't look so shocked!" Quirrell continued, "It was _I_ who unleashed the troll on Halloween! It was_ I_ who tried to kill you in the forest that night when I was feasting on unicorn blood. I've been trying to kill you since you first stepped foot into Hogwarts. I would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for Dumbledore and Snape. Snape never left me alone. I know Snape has many reasons. I have my theories about him, and you, but master refuses to listen."

"Snape? Dumbledore? I bet they could see right through you." Harry thought about his sarcastic potion's master and was surprised. Snape was the last person Harry would have considered to be helping him or even any student. Harry had no doubt that Dumbledore would have known all along, but why let Quirrell into the school if he suspected him.

"They kept an _annoyingly_ close eye on me after the Forbidden Forest incident! But I don't have to worry about them. Not anymore. Once you're done and we have the stone, all will be as it should be."

"You'll never get the stone!"

Quirrell smirked, "We'll see about that."

"Ask the boy what he sees," the voice was raspy and came out like a hiss. Harry began to panic.

"Boy! Look into the mirror and tell us what you see!"

Harry looked into the mirror and saw what he had seen that night on Christmas; his mother, the sullen looking woman and his grandparents. They were all looking worried for him. He also saw his reflection wink and take something out of his pocket. It was a large ruby – the philosopher's stone. Harry was shocked. He pinched his pocket, surely enough it was there. He didn't dare to say anything.

"I'm older and I'm both Gryffindor Headboy and Qudditch captain. I'm holding both the House cup and Quidditch cup in either hand."

"He lies," The voice rasped again.

Quirrell began to yell, "Tell the truth! What do you see?!"

"I told you."

"Let him see meeee." The voice continued.

"But master, you are not strong enough." Quirrell protested.

"I am strong enough for thisssss…"

Quirrell unravelled his turban and turned around; on his bald head, a snake-like face began to form with bright red eyes and two slits for a nose. Harry felt sick. He wanted to run away but his legs were frozen.

"Harry Evans," The voice said resentfully, "The boy who lived. See what I have become? A mere parasite. I live off the body of another. Unicorn blood can sustain me… but it cannot give me a body of my own. But there is something that can; something that, conveniently enough, lies in your pocket…"

"NEVER!" Harry shouted.

"How touching. I always value bravery. Your mother died protecting you. Yes, she was quite brave. She did not need to die, I gave her the option of standing aside but she was still trying to protect you. Now give me the stone unless you want her to have died in vain."

Harry shook his head.

"Very well then. Quirrell!"

Quirrell leaped into the air and soared towards Harry in an instant. He grabbed Harry's throat and began to strangle. Harry expected to feel lightheaded but as soon as Quirrell touched him he began to burn and Quirrell took his hands off Harry. Quirrell's skin began to blister and chip away.

"Argh! Argh!" Quirrell screamed.

"Fool! GET THE STONE!" Voldemort's head rasped but surely enough, it began to chip as well.

Harry quickly jumped up and placed his hands onto Quirrell's face. The pain in Harry's scar was overwhelming. He lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Severus wasn't just mad, he was beyond furious. Dumbledore had done nothing to prevent this from happening. Three eleven-year-old children could have easily been killed in those trials. Harry should not have been the one to face Quirrell, it should have been him. He was an adult and a powerful wizard. Although he was secretly proud when Dumbledore told him that he solved his potions logic puzzle, he was ashamed to say that there were grown wizards and witches who didn't have that level of problem solving.<p>

He was not pleased by Dumbledore's response: "We can't protect Harry forever Severus, as much as I would like to. There will come a time when Tom returns to a mortal body. We both know that. That maybe tomorrow, that maybe decades away, but it will be harmful if we lie to him. I knew Lily's sacrifice would protect him this time. He needs to realise early that Voldemort will seek to murder him at any cost. It is dangerous to allow him to take foolish risks, not being aware the consequences…"

"He's eleven years old, Albus. For goodness sakes! It's _our_ job to protect him, then teaching him to defend himself when he is old enough."

"There was no other way to reveal Quirrell otherwise. I'm sorry. He was resistant to Veritaserum and your attempts at making him reveal the truth."

Severus narrowed his eyes and stormed out of the headmaster's office. His mind was made up, come next year he would be teaching Harry how to save himself. He wouldn't let the boy be used as mere live bait for Dumbledore's plans.

* * *

><p>Harry opened his eyes to find himself in the hospital wing, not knowing how long he had been unconscious. The first thing he noticed was that his bedside table was filled with letters, lollies, chocolate and a large leather-bound book. On his bed, someone had covered the visible side of his invisibility cloak on top of him as a blanket.<p>

"Some gifts from your friends and admirers. Naturally, the whole school knows everything."

Harry hadn't noticed Dumbledore was standing on the other side of his bed. The old man surveyed him with compassion, his usual friendliness and for a glimpse, Harry saw undeniable sadness. He wondered how long Dumbledore had been watching over him.

"Sorry, sir." Harry mumbled, "I didn't see you there. How long have I been unconscious?"

"For three days. I found you soon after Hermione came running to my office."

"How are my friends? Is Ron alright?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Your friends are fine. They've been some of the people visiting you."

There was a moment's silence before Harry decided to speak again. Harry was deep in thought; he had so many questions about what had just happened.

"Professor," he began, "Why did the stone appear in my pocket?"

"Ah," Dumbledore sighed, "That was a little clever idea of mine. Only someone who wanted the stone, but not use it for selfish reasons, would be able to retrieve it from the mirror."

"That would be a very rare person," Harry said, reflecting on the stone's capabilities and his own desire merely for the stone not to be in Voldemort's hands. If the circumstances had been different (without the threat of an immortal, all-powerful Voldemort), he admitted that he would have wanted the stone for himself.

"Yes, Nicholas and I have agreed that it is in the best interest of everyone that the stone is destroyed. Nicholas and his wife, Perenelle, will die soon but they still have enough time to get their affairs in order."

"Sir, why did Quirrell burn when he touched me?"

"It was because of your mother. She sacrificed herself for you, and that kind of act leaves a mark."

Harry reached up to touch his scar.

"No, no. This kind of mark cannot be seen. It lives in your very skin."

"What is it?"

"Love, Harry. It's love." Dumbledore explained, "A power that Voldemort will never know."

He reflected upon that and remembered his mother's reflection in the Mirror of Erised, a beautiful woman with tabby red hair down to her knees. His life would have been so different had she lived. Why did she have to die?

"And you and Professor Snape are protecting me," Harry said calmly, "Why Snape?"

"Harry, Severus has a lot of debt. One of the ways he has agreed to repay it is through protecting you. He and your mother were also close friends as children."

Harry frowned; he wondered what kind of debt.

"Voldemort isn't dead, isn't he? He's going to come back."

"Yes, and we will have to defeat him. It's you he wants more than anything. But don't worry about that for the moment. Here you are perfectly safe."

Dumbledore had to leave soon after but he left Harry feeling anxious. Dumbledore's words were far from reassuring, but he would allow himself to feel happy for the rest of the semester before he would be forced to return to the Dursleys.


	11. Dobby's Warning

Narcissa Malfoy took another sip of tea from her favourite piece of 16th century china and placed it back on the saucer. It was a classic blue and white porcelain with an elegant willow pattern. She believed that such things were not meant to only be looked at but enjoyed and paraded with pride. She had designated this Sunday afternoon to have tea with Lady Crabbe and Lady Goyle at her home.

Draco was spending the afternoon at the Nott residence. He had decided to become friendlier towards Theodore Nott, the heir to the Nott family. She was pleased.

Belladonna Crabbe took a big slurp of her tea and said, "So Narcissa, I heard that Lucius has become more involved with the school's board of governors. Is this true?"

Narcissa smiled sweetly, "Well, since our darling son has started Hogwarts, Lucius has taken an interest in his education. He's concerned about the amount of power that Dumbledore has over young people."

Belladonna shrugged, "Hopefully he can make an improvement to the school system. They can never teach my son properly and they never teach anything useful anyway."

'_Because you and your son are too dimwitted to see how important learning anything, especially magic, is but your family still takes pride in being pureblood,'_ Narcissa thought cattily, but a sweet smile remained on her face.

Suddenly, Thomasina Goyle accidentally knocked over one of the cups. It fell to the floor with a smash. Narcissa cringed, breaking porcelain was quite embarrassing in pureblood high society but neither woman had enough social grace to make sure this didn't happen or feel ashamed of doing so.

"Oops!" Thomasina lamented, "I've been a bit clumsy lately."

With a swish of her wand, Narcissa repaired the cup and placed it back onto the table. Another swish made the tea stain in the rug disappear.

Narcissa was only friendly towards to two women for one real reason: their sons were friends with young Draco. Narcissa would have preferred that their son was friends with boys who were of a higher intellectual calibre but at least they were purebloods. Both women were as dull as flobberworms and as a result, were usually shunned by the rest of pureblood society including her other, more interesting, friends.

"I wish my husband would take an interest in our son," Thomasina continued, like nothing had ever happened, with a touch of lament in her voice, "but so far after our fourteen years of marriage his only interests are still firewhisky and more firewhisky."

It was no secret that Thomasina hated her husband and wanted to get rid of him. It wasn't a surprise and Narcissa didn't blame her; the man was an awful alcoholic. He would physically beat and hex his family often. It was only the fear of Azkaban that prevented her from killing him – she knew she wasn't clever enough to murder him and get away with it.

"That is a real shame," Narcissa said curtly, "Now, is anyone interested in some cake?"

A smile came to both of the women's faces. They both ate like pigs and had no shame in it.

"Dobby!" She said sternly. House elves were like children, you had to be stern with them.

Dobby apparated into the room with a crack and bowed, "What shall it be, Lady Malfoy?"

"Cake. I want some chocolate pie."

Dobby cowered, "But we don't have any more, young master ate the last of it this morning."

Narcissa flushed, it was improper for the House of Malfoy to be lacking in anything, "Then get some! Punish yourself when you're finished! I demand nothing less than excellent service!"

Dobby whimpered and looked up at her with his bright green eyes. He had long since given up pleading with them, but the elf he knew that she still felt uncomfortable when looking into his sad eyes.

When the chocolate pie came, they took pleasure in enjoying that and other treats as well as the latest gossip about Annabella Macnair and her supposed muggle lover.

That was until her husband came home.

With a crack in the fireplace, Lucius stormed into the living room and with a wave of his wand, exploded a vase. Narcissa's guests screamed. Shards of glass had been blasted all over the room. It was lucky they were not hurt.

"Lucius!" She screamed, "What is wrong with you?"

"Lady Crabbe, Lady Goyle –" he greeted the women while brushing back his blond hair, "Thank you for being guests in this house for the afternoon but I insist that it is time you both leave."

Both of them headed towards the door with smug looks on their faces. Narcissa grimaced, she had no doubt that they both took pleasure in thinking that their marriage wasn't as good as it seemed. She wished there was time to wash their memories – the last thing she needed was the upper class wizarding society to think that she and her husband had a troubled relationship.

The moment they were out of the door Narcissa turned to her husband again, "Tell me."

"I think Dumbledore knows," Lucius whispered, "About my mother."

"Dear Lucius," She said, "Dumbledore knows a great many things but I don't think he could possibly know about that. Not even your closest friends have ever figured it out. It was your mother's deathbed confession."

"No, he told Ducksworth 'many who call themselves purebloods can find a muggle ancestry somewhere in the family tree'"

Narcissa let out a laugh, her husband was aggravated by the most menial of things.

"The comment was directed at me! I'm sure of it!"

Unlike many women in pureblood society, Narcissa did love her husband. Lucius was good with money and was a loyal man. He was better than many husbands she knew of. He was not a drunkard or an illicit potions user. Nor did he abuse his family. He did have two major flaws though; he was quick to anger and held an easily wounded pride.

It had only been six months since their world had been turned upside down. Both she and her husband were the only people there when his mother had lost her battle with magically incurable leukaemia. In her final moments of life, Anne Malfoy admitted that most of her life had been a lie and that she was actually a muggle born witch from Australia. Abraxas met her during a holiday to the faraway country. Anne and Abraxas had lied to wizarding society and their son for the entire span of their marriage. Narcissa and Lucius were still dealing with the aftermath of the shock. Lucius' life had been a lie but she had decided to stick by him.

"Sweetheart," She said softly, "I think you may be over-reacting. Don't worry about it. Even if it comes out as rumour, I doubt anyone in their right mind would believe it."

"Dumbledore would," Lucius lamented, "As well as anyone who wants to undermining my interests. He needs to be eliminated and I have a good idea of how to do it."

"Oh really? How are you going to do that?"Narcissa inquired, although she felt concerned that her husband was becoming increasingly paranoid.

"The diary. I'll find some way to get it into the school. With the chamber of secrets reopened, we can portray Dumbledore – and Hagrid – as a danger to the school in the eyes of the board of governors."

"Are you sure?" She said with raised eyebrows, "Your former master entrusted you to keep it safe."

"It doesn't look like he's coming back anytime soon though. It will possess the owner to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Sure, some mudbloods might get hurt in the process but that's not unexpected. All we need to do is find someone to take the book into the school."

"Well, you're not having our precious Draco touch that thing," Narcissa snapped.

"Of course not." Lucius said, "I would never do that to our son. Besides, it would give us away. The boy must obviously know nothing."

"What about the prostitute's brat?" Narcissa suggested, "Our son complains about him all the time."

Lucius began to smile, "Harry Evans? A hit on Dumbledore's golden boy sounds perfect but I doubt we could get that close without being noticed."

"Or what about the blood traitor family he has befriended? We can plant it on a Weasley brat and claim it as a charitable donation to the poor."

They both laughed happily, as if it was merely a funny joke.

"I'm glad I married you," Lucius said, moving closer towards his wife.

Narcissa leaned forward to kiss him, "You should be. You're a lucky man to have me. I'll leave you to unwind from the day. I'll pick up Draco this afternoon. The elf can cook turkey."

Narcissa left the room with a sly smile still on her face. Lucius dropped himself onto a luxurious leather armchair and began to read the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.

Hiding invisibly behind the leather arm chair, Dobby was frozen in horror. Surely he knew that the family he served for could be cruel, but unleashing a monster to kill muggleborn students at Hogwarts was nothing short of evil. He was forbidden from talking about what they were conspiring – the house elf code prevented that – but he had to do something. If the Malfoys ever found out that he had spoken to Dumbledore he would be a dead elf but he could save Harry Evans. He was the young wizard the Malfoys hated almost as much as Dumbledore. He could make sure Harry Evans not to go to school this year. It was all he could do.

* * *

><p>"Owls!" He heard Uncle Vernon howl, "I thought I saw an owl!"<p>

"Dad, the last time you thought you an owl it was really just a fat pigeon."

"Darling," Aunt Petunia said while finishing the last preparations on her large pudding, "Calm down, we don't want the Masons to think there is anything abnormal about the boy."

"Harry will be staying upstairs while the Masons are here. They won't know he exists."

Harry rolled his eyes. It was normal for them to talk about him as if he did not exist. Usually he would not care, but today was his birthday. He was feeling incredibly lonely. He had received no cards or presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. It seemed as though his friends had abandoned him as he had received no letters over the holidays. The Dursleys were too busy preparing for a fancy dinner with the Masons who were potential business partners for Uncle Vernon. And they still had not forgiven him for the 'magic word' prank.

His Uncle pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, "Not a word boy. If I hear one peep from you, you'll be sorry. Now get upstairs."

"Yes Uncle." He said, although he was actually quite glad about not having to attend the dinner. He would rather spend the night reading or playing a game one of Dudley's borrowed Gameboys.

Harry walked upstairs to his room in silence. He couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts. He wanted to know why his friends had stopped writing to him.

There was also another reason why he wanted to go back: he had been plagued by disturbing dreams and flashbacks. They had started from the moment he returned to Privet Drive and happened without any warning or obvious reason. The flashbacks consisted of the same faces or objects coming into his mind and in the same order: a black leather diary, a wizard with a stern face and long platinum blond hair, a girl lying unconscious on a wet floor, Professor Snape with a worried expression and a phoenix flying with a sword in its claws. Sometimes he would get the sensation of something cold slithering on his skin, like a snake, and shudder. The dreams were worse. He couldn't remember them well, but he still ended up waking in a state of shock. Something had gone wrong, or will go wrong. It was only a matter of time before he would find out. The longer he stayed here, the worse the feeling of foreboding got.

It was worse for Hedwig. The Dursleys wouldn't allow him to let her out, so she had to stay in her cage and could only let her fly around his room late at night. Staying here was torture for both of them.

He opened up his bedroom door to find a short shrunken figure jumping on his bed. The creature had large, bright green eyes, a pencil-like nose and long, bat-like pointed ears. It wore what looked like a dirty old pillowcase.

"What are you?" were the first words to come out of Harry's mouth.

"Harry Evans," The creature said in a high pitched voice then bowed, "It is the greatest honour to meet you. Dobby is a house elf."

"What are you doing here?"

"Harry Evans is valiant and bold! He has braved so many dangers already! But Dobby has come to protect Harry Evans, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later... Harry Evans must not go back to Hogwarts."

Harry gave a puzzled look, "What do you mean 'must not go back to Hogwarts'?"

The elf gave a pained expression, "I – cannot - say…"

Dobby turned towards his wardrobe and started hitting his head against it. Harry was stunned.

"Stop!" Harry whispered in frustration, "You're making too much noise! My Uncle will hear you!"

"Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry grabbed the elf by the hand and pulled him away from the wardrobe.

"Dobby has to punish himself. Dobby is not allowed to talk about his masters behind their backs." The elf said with misery. "Harry Evans should just accept that he should not return to school."

Harry heard Uncle Vernon's heavy footsteps on the stairs. He quickly pushed Dobby into the wardrobe.

Uncle Vernon swung his bedroom door open, his face was contorted in anger, "What the devil are you doing boy?"

"Nothing. I was just having trouble finding one of my books. It's on top of the wardrobe but I can't get to it."

"I don't care," Uncle Vernon whispered in rage, "The Masons are here, so be quiet if you know what is good for you."

"Ok, Uncle. I'm sorry."

Uncle Vernon raised a chubby finger, "You will be if you do anything like this again."

He closed the door to Harry's door and walked back downstairs. When he thought it was safe to do so, Harry opened the door to let Dobby out of the wardrobe. The elf took in a huge gasp of air.

"Please stop," Harry said, "Don't hurt yourself. I won't ask you things you can't answer. I can try to help you."

"Harry must _not_ return to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," Dobby repeated, "Dobby thought that Harry would not be interested in going back to school since his friends had not been writing to him."

"I can't stay here… wait," Harry stopped, "How do you know that my friends have not been writing to me?"

The elf's ears lowered, as if guilty. The elf took out a package of what looked like letters.

Harry snatched them out of the elf's hand, "Give me those! How dare you take my mail? I thought all of my friends had abandoned me."

"Abandoned is better than dead." The elf said, before he clenched his fist and continued to hit himself in the head. He had said too much.

Harry looked around the room, when he glanced at his desk he got an idea.

"Can you draw?" Harry suggested and picked up a spare notebook and a quill from his desk, "You won't be telling me anything. Not really."

Dobby stopped hitting himself and thought for a minute, "Dobby is allowed to draw pictures."

"Here," Harry exclaimed as he put the notebook and quill on the floor with the ink beside it, "Draw whatever you like."

Dobby took no hesitation in doing so; he grabbed the quill and sketched as fast as he could. Dobby used up three pages. When he was finished, Harry looked at the images and squinted in confusion. The drawings were child-like but clear. There was one of what looked like a book and a stick figure with long hair. Another page had nothing except a series of rings drawn into a big black circle. The last page had what appeared to be a long line that went the whole page. The last two drawings didn't seem to make much sense. He did wonder if the book and the stick figure represented the diary and the unconscious girl. He hoped not.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said, he did ask what the drawings meant or say that he could not stay with the Dursleys.

Dobby smiled, "Harry Evans is most kind."

"Just promise me you won't be stealing my mail anymore."

'_Caw! Tap. Tap. Caw!'_

The crow was at his window, clutching a letter in one of its claws. It had to be – without a doubt - the same crow as the one that had delivered his Christmas presents.

"Dobby must go. Dobby hopes Harry Evans will help him more in the future."

Before Harry could say 'goodbye', Dobby had disappeared. Harry opened his window to allow the crow in and took the parchment from its claw. It was his school supply list for second year. Whoever owned the crow had taken the effort to send his school list themselves. Maybe they knew that he hadn't been receiving mail. He was not surprised by the prospect of someone spying on him, but it did disturb him. Even if it was possibly for his own protection. He preferred to think that his gift giver was just a charitable person.

The crow pecked him before flying away again. He closed the window and drew the curtain across, not wanting the crow to come back.

He decided to spend some time reading the mail Dobby had hidden from him.

Harry could hear his aunt's forced laughter from downstairs as he looked at the cards and letters Ron and Hermione had tried to send him. Suddenly his birthday didn't seem so bad.

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews, follows and Favs are always appreciated. What do you think of the story so far? (or how could it be better?) I'm not adding slash or anything like that (not yet at least ;), Harry is 12).


	12. The Diary

Harry lay on his bed listening to the ticking of the clock on his bedside table. All of his stuff was packed into his suitcase and Hedwig perched in her cage, seemingly unaware that something that Harry had been waiting for all summer was going to transpire. It was ten to eight, exactly ten minutes before he would be leaving the Dursleys to be going back to Hogwarts.

The Dursleys would be asleep this time of morning on a Sunday and wouldn't bother to wake up until at least nine if he was quiet. He wasn't worried about them – for the time being. He saw no reason as to why they would not let him go back to Hogwarts. It was another year of not seeing him.

As he stared at the ceiling he returned to think about Dobby the House-elf, the drawings the elf made and the dreams he had been having. The elf had kept his promise to not bother him and as a result, he had finally been receiving mail from Hermione and Ron. Although the dreams had become less frequent and vivid ever since the elf's visit, he still felt a subdued feeling of impending doom. There was a ring of the doorbell.

"Alright! Alright!" Uncle Vernon yelled from upstairs, "Just give me time to get dressed."

Harry jumped out of bed, quietly as he could, and ran down the stairs to open the door before Uncle Vernon did.

Standing in the doorway was Professor Snape wearing his usual black robes. It was rare to see adult wizards in the muggle world and like Snape, they typically looked out of place. Harry was surprised; he expected to see Professor McGonagall. The heads of houses were responsible for you if you needed assistance outside Hogwarts and she had written him a letter to say that she would collect him personally.

"Hello Professor," Harry said with eyes wide open, "I wasn't expected you. My stuff is ready to go. I just need to take it down the stairs."

"Hello Harry," Snape said in his usual impersonal drawl, "It is no problem. McGonagall has had a mishap this morning, so she couldn't come. Be quick, I don't want any trouble from your relatives."

"I only have one suitcase and an owl. I'll be back in a minute."

Uncle Vernon rushed down the stairs half-dressed. He stood behind Harry like a great big troll in his path, blocking Harry from going upstairs.

He took one look at Professor Snape and gave a pained look. It was the same look he gave Harry when he turned up on their doorstep at the start of summer.

"Who the flaming hell are you?" Uncle Vernon demanded looking straight into Snape's eyes.

"Severus Snape, I'm one of Harry's Professors. Harry is starting back at Hogwarts next Monday and needs to collect school supplies before he catches the Hogwarts Express."

Uncle Vernon grunted in dissatisfaction, "He doesn't need to learn anymore magic tricks. He can start at a muggle school next week. Stonewall is a great public school."

Harry couldn't help but sigh in anguish. Even after all these years, the Dursleys were still utterly determined to 'expel the magic from him.' As much as they disliked Harry, they still had the naïve desired for him to be normal.

Professor Snape lowered his voice so that the neighbours would not hear, "Harry is a young wizard, not a muggle. He needs to be taught how to use his magical abilities."

Uncle Vernon, usually accustomed to intimidating people, seethed with anger. He raised a finger and was about to have a go until Aunt Petunia came downstairs in her nightgown.

"Verny-poo, what is all this commotion?"

She took one look at the man standing in the doorway and became a stark shade of pale. It was like she saw a ghost. Snape nodded in acknowledgement.

"You." She gasped, "I'd hoped I would never see you again."

"Sweetheart," Uncle Vernon questioned, "Do you know this freak?"

"I know this freak. We don't want any trouble with him." She said with a whimper, "Harry get your stuff, you're going with this man."

Harry saw Snape give a smirk of satisfaction. Any other wizard would find this treatment repulsive but Snape was unfazed. Rather, Snape took satisfaction in intimidating them. He had never imagined that his Aunt would have ever met someone like his potions professor. Something didn't add up.

Uncle Vernon let him walk upstairs and collect his belongings. Harry said a brisk goodbye to the Dursleys before heading out with Professor Snape on sidewalk of Privet Drive with luggage in tow.

Before Harry could ask about how he knew Aunt Petunia, Snape gave a short laugh and said, "Minerva told me she would be too… busy… to deal with picking you up. She owes me something. I saved her from arguing for at least an hour and having to explain to the ministry as to why she would have needed to cast mental modification charms on muggles. Did you organise where and when you are meeting your friends?"

"I've organised to meet the Weasleys sometime after eight thirty at Flourish and Blotts."

"Good. I can take your luggage to the Hogwarts Express for you, if you wish. Hedwig will be fine."

Harry turned to look at Snape directly; he wondered why his strict short-tempered professor was being so accommodating.

"So, how are we getting there? Diagon Alley is a long way from here." Harry asked.

"I'm looking for a good place to apparate. I'm pretty sure the underpass near the unused playground will do. No muggles to see us there."

Harry had read of apparition before, but he would have to be at least sixteen to learn it. Apparation didn't seem like something he should try to teach himself.

"How do you and my aunt know each other?" Harry blurted without thinking.

"That is none of your concern." Snape said sternly, "It would also be better if you told nobody else that I picked you up."

Harry looked down. He regretted asking. They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Are you excited to be going back to Hogwarts?" Snape asked, it seemed odd for a man like him to try to make conversation.

"Yes," Harry exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.

"Good, it is good to know that you are glad to be going back. I liked going back to Hogwarts too. Even if…"

Snape stopped what he was saying and winced. He seemed to realise that he was sharing too much with a student.

They came towards the underpass and Harry took a look around the park. There were very few people but none of them gave odd glances towards a boy with a suitcase and an owl in a cage walking with a man in a long black cloak.

"I've cast an invisibility spell on top of us. In case you were wondering," Snape said as they walked into the darkness of the underpass, "If you have everything we can get going. Just hold tight to your stuff and hold onto my hand on the other."

Their eyes caught for a moment and Harry could feel his visions of the black leather diary and the memory of his encounter with Dobby come to the surface. Harry broke off eye contact but couldn't help but feel betrayed: Snape could have his secrets but he could not have his. There was a worried expression on his professors' face, he had no doubt that Snape had seen his visions.

* * *

><p>Luna Lovegood was ecstatic to be starting at Hogwarts. She had dreamed for this moment for all of her childhood and now it was time. She was eager to learn magic but more importantly, eager to make friends. Friends who wouldn't tease her for being different.<p>

"Luna!" Her father called out after her as she ran through the crowd in Diagon Alley, "Wait, we need to go to Gringott's first."

She stopped and waited for her father to catch up. Luna was already halfway up the stairs of Ollivanders.

'Slow down,' Miss Hissy said from her hiding spot around Luna's shoulders, 'you're going to make me motion sick.'

'Oh, sorry.' Luna replied in parselmouth, in a tone just audible to Miss Hissy.

It had been hard since Luna's mother died. She and her father did not have many friends or extended relatives to help them with the grief or to help the family with everyday living. Luna also found it hard to make friends at her muggle primary school.

Luna had met Miss Hissy after she started hearing voices in the bushes at school when she was in the second grade. Apparently, the small Garter Snake had escaped her muggle pet owners and had made a living for herself in the school grounds. Luna convinced her that the school groundsmen would kill her if they found her and that the gardens were Luna lived were much nicer. Miss Hissy had been a good friend ever since.

She would never forget the look on her parents' faces when they realised that she could talk to snakes. It was shock. Although they never say the ability was anything bad, they did instil on her that it was better for her to keep the ability a secret. Luna understood, parseltongue was the mark of a dark wizard.

"Well, well, well," A sly voice said from behind, "I see your daughter has been accepted into Hogwarts, cousin."

Luna turned around to see a tall man with long platinum blond hair standing near the doorway to Ollivanders. He wore what Luna could tell were expensive robes, black with silver trimmings. Standing beside him was a blond boy around her age, a boy who looked just as proud and haughty as his father.

"You bet every magical spark in your body that Luna will be a powerful witch, Lucius," Her father responded fast. She had never seen her father have a personal issue with anyone. For someone who claimed to be family, it was definite that there were no warm feelings between them.

"Is that so?" He looked at Luna with a patronising glare, "I have some doubts. I bet she'll be an apple not too far from the tree. How is the Quibbler going?"

Luna couldn't believe that this man was being so rude and mean.

'That man has something…' Miss Hissy whispered in her ear, 'Something bad. Don't go near him.'

She then noticed that he was clutching a leather book. Luna began to feel sick – there was something very wrong with that book. Miss Hissy's instincts were often correct.

"Very well, thank you. The Quibbler is flourishing. Now if you excuse us, Luna needs a wand."

Her father grabbed her hand and they entered Ollivanders. The snobbish man and his son walked away.

Harry leant on the side of Flourish and Blotts waiting for the Weasleys. Harry decided to go through his school supplies list one more time. Just to check if there was anything missed. He still cringed when they referred to him as 'Harry Potter' instead of 'Harry Evans'. It may have been socially polite in the magical world to be referred to as if you were a legitimate child but he was not related to James Potter. It embarrassed him. But not as quite as embarrassing as being accosted by Gilderoy Lockhart and then meeting Malfoy's father for the first time.

"I'm pretty sure that you've got everything Harry," Ron said with a yawn, "You even practically got a whole set of the years DADA textbooks for the whole year for free."

Harry was quick to respond, "Yuck, I'd rather not have to read his soppy novels."

"Have either of you ever heard of what Gilderoy has done?" Hermione retorted, "I finished his books early this summer. He is a very brave man and was even awarded an Order of Merlin Third Class. It will be a privilege to have him teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"No…" Harry stuttered, "I haven't read them. But he sure seems to act like a celebrity."

He found it hard to believe that the arrogant, dramatic man that they met in the bookshop actually performed heroic deeds such as those suggested in 'Year of Yeti' or 'Break with a Banshee'. Harry supposed that many successful wizards could be arrogant but his manner was dramatic to the point where it was like a thinly disguised joke. Lockhart clearly relished the attention of everyone in the bookshop.

Hermione frowned and turned away embarrassed. Ron couldn't fully suppress a smirk.

"What are you guys doing?" Ginny said from behind Ron, she evidently snuck up from behind them.

From the moment that Harry first saw Ginny, he knew that she was the girl from his vision of a girl lying on a damp wet floor. He tried to hide this from her but he was sure that she knew that he was acting a little weird around her. Harry also recognised the man with long blond hair as Lucius Malfoy.

"Nothing Ginny," Ron said, "Just talking about school stuff."

Ginny lit up, "Really? What kind of school stuff were you talking about?"

"He's a bit odd, isn't he?" Ginny said, "I mean, pulling out Harry from the crowd for show when he clearly didn't want to be."

"Gilderoy is just a bit too confident. You would be if you had done what he has achieved." Hermione retorted.

"Well, I can't believe our bad luck on meeting Malfoy and his dad there," Ron exclaimed, obviously eager to change the topic of conversation, or rather just eager to avoid a fuss from a Lockhart obsessed Hermione.

"No wonder Draco is such a jerk," Hermione said with distain.

Ron turned to his sister and said, "Just try to avoid him and don't get sorted into Slytherin."

Ginny gave a curt nod and smiled.

In that moment, Harry noticed a black book in the cauldron that Ginny was carrying. It was the book, the black leather book from his visions. He knew it was bad.

Harry thought for a second, "Should we get going then? Let's not stay here and risk another opportunity to meet the Malfoys. I'm pretty sure I have everything now."

"Yeah, we should be meeting Mum soon." Ron said, "The twins should be finished with looking at broomsticks. It's not like they can afford them anyway."

As they made their way through the crowds, Harry walked alongside Ginny and quickly managed to take the book out of the cauldron and throw it into a bin.

'Everything should be alright now.' He thought with relief.

* * *

><p>Luna frowned as she listened to the wheels of the Hogwarts Express and other first year girls talking. As she eavesdropped on the girls as they talked about make-up and argue over which member of The Weird Sisters they liked the best, Luna couldn't help but feel let down. She had hoped to meet another girl like her on the train trip over, someone she could be friends with. Perhaps she was just being too optimistic. She wanted to make friends but she didn't quite know how to start a conversation with them. So she sat in silence, watching the countryside go by and waiting to get off the train.<p>

"I have to be in Gryffindor," said a girl with red hair, "Or I'll get disowned. Well, not really, but it would be awkward you know, being the only Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff in a family of Gryffindors."

"I'm a Hufflepuff for sure," said another girl with dark skin and a hijab, "Noone in my family has attended Hogwarts yet, so I suppose it doesn't matter which house I get sorted in. 'Just and loyal, unafraid of toil.' My younger brother will start two years from now."

"I'll be happy to be in any house but Slytherin," said another girl.

"My mum was a Slytherin," Luna interrupted.

_'I'm just happy to be let into Hogwarts'_, Luna thought, _'With me being a parselmouth and all.'_

The other girls looked at her and then continued their conversation as if she hadn't said a word.

_'At least I have Miss Hissy in my pocket,_' Luna had another lonely thought,_ 'But I don't think other students will like that I can speak to snakes. I want them to like me, not fear me.'_

After a while, Luna decided to look at the black leather diary that she had found in the trash can. It was definitely the book that the tall blond man had kept in his hands. Luna knew better, she knew that she should have left the book in the trash where it belonged but curiosity always got the better of her. Luna was sure she would be a Ravenclaw. She should have said that to the other girls.

It was completely blank, with the exception of 'Property of T M Riddle' on the front page. Maybe it was an enchanted diary. In that case, it would answer back.

She brought out a quill and began to write:

_'Hello, my name is Luna and I am going to Hogwarts.'_

Quickly, words began to form underneath her writing. It was an elegant script that looked old-fashioned.

'Hello Luna, I'm Tom. Tom Riddle. I am pleased to meet another parcelmouth, we are incredibly rare and I'm sure we have plenty of other things in common.'

Luna's hands began to shake. She could not ignore her instincts any longer. Whoever the writer was - he was evil and had done unspeakable things. They were nothing alike.

She didn't hesitate to throw the book at the empty seat in front of her, pick up her bag and run out of the carriage. The other girls just stared for a moment.

'Why are you running?' Miss Hissy complained from her pocket, 'I was sleeping and you've just woke me up.'

Luna would find another carriage to sit in, one with Gryffindor third years whom also ignored her, but that didn't matter because she felt safe now.

Inside the carriage however, the red haired girl took one look at the book and decided that it would be good to write notes in. Her family was poor and she didn't hesitate to ignore her better instincts.

_A/N: I know it has been a while. Reviews, follows and favourites are always appreciated._


	13. The Secret Teacher's Staff Meeting

As she sat in the corner of the common room and had nothing better to do, Ginny pulled the old diary that she had found on the train out of her bag and wrote 'Property of Ginny Weasley' on the front page.

Letters appeared in elegant handwriting, 'Hello, Ginny. I'm pleased to meet you. I'd just like to say that I am Tom Marvolo Riddle and that I am not anyone's property thank you.'

Ginny flew out of her seat. She wasn't expecting that. After she had finished writing, the words disappeared into the page. Shaking, she wrote more:

'What are you?'

More writing appeared, 'A memory. Just a memory left in a diary.'

'How old are you?'

'15.'

'I'm only 11. I was wondering if you could help me with my homework.'

'Ginny, I can help you with anything.'

Ginny could feel a pulling sensation in her chest, as if the book had invisible tentacles that were drawing her in.

* * *

><p>The first two weeks at Hogwarts had been good. Harry had the vague hope that maybe - just maybe - he would have a normal year at school without interruption. He knew it wasn't going to happen though.<p>

Ron was happy that Ginny had been sorted into Gryffindor during the sorting ceremony. The very last Weasley child was officially a Gryffindor – what else would she be?

Over the last couple of weeks his visions did not change. He thought the diary would be gone once he threw it away but maybe not. He had no doubt that the girl in the puddle of water was definitely Ginny. He should have given it to Dumbledore, Snape or another adult who would know what to do with it. Someone else might have taken it. He felt like an idiot.

After class had finished that afternoon, Harry sat himself underneath a tree near the edge of the forbidden forest. He had become accustom to doing this most days to avoid the whispers of other students either pointing out his scar or talk about what might have happened in the forbidden corridor last year.

Ironically, Dumbledore had transformed the third floor corridor into a study area that was usually inhabited by older fifth or seventh year scholars who were already studying for their exams. Once the corridor was forbidden to all those who did not want to die a painful death, now it was forbidden to all those who did not want death stares or snarls from stressed out students.

As Harry sat underneath the tree he once again attempted the strenuous task of trying to read 'Wanderings with Werewolves.' He understood that school books were hardly, if ever, interesting books but Gilderoy Lockhart's books were just rubbish. At least the adventure books he read in childhood were written with a decent hero. The writing in Lockhart's books was terrible enough to make him feel sick especially when you considered decadent way that Lockhart portrayed himself. Harry couldn't care less about Lockhart's favourite colour or that he claimed that his ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic people. He had no idea what Hermione and many other witches like her really saw in him. Harry doubted that Lockhart did any of the things in his novels.

But at least with Lockhart's books, if you weren't interested you could simply shut them and walk away. In person, Lockhart was obnoxious and unavoidable. He always made Harry participate in embarrassing skits in front of class and frequently gave him unwanted advice on how to deal with fame. Ron, himself and the other boys in the class used their DADA lessons to muck around.

Within about fifteen hard minutes of trying to read, Harry fell asleep underneath the tree. He was woken up by someone or something poking at his cheek.

"Sorry to bother you, Harry Evans." It was Dobby, "But we have a problem."

"How the heck did you get here?"

"House elves can apparate within Hogwarts, Harry Evans."

Harry shoved the book into his bag carelessly and sat up, "What can I help you with Dobby?"

"I can't say. Dobby should have not let Harry Evans return to school."

Harry groaned, "So you woke me up to tell me that you have a problem but you can't tell me what it is?"

Dobby whimpered and wiped his nose on his dirty robes.

"The school is not safe, 'it' is here. Everybody must be careful."

Harry needed no explanation about what he meant. It was the diary. He didn't want Dobby to start hurting himself again.

"Thank you, Dobby."

The elf then clicked his fingers and made a potion vile appear before them. Its content had a pleasant light blue glow and the liquid swirled inside.

"It's Calming Draught. Dobby has noticed that Harry had been having trouble sleeping."

Harry frowned, "You've been watching me while I was sleeping? Please don't do that."

The House elf disappeared with a crack with an expression of embarrassment on his face.

Harry glanced behind him to see a blonde first year Ravenclaw girl staring in shock. She had her wand behind her ear and wore a necklace that looked like it was made from turnips. He hoped that she had not heard too much.

"Sorry," She shouted, "I was just visiting Thestrals when I bumped into you talking to someone."

"What 'thestrals'?" He shouted, thinking about the large, morbid-looking winged horses that he had read about in books. Apparently only people who had seen death could see them.

"They live in the forest and pull the sleighs into Hogwarts. They're really nice you know. I swear I haven't been stalking you like some other people have been."

He frowned, he was not happy to hear that other people had been stalking him. He could deal with Dobby doing it, other students he could not.

"I'm sorry that I have upset you." The girl called.

"I'm not angry at _you_." Harry replied.

"So how are you? You're the first person who has talked to me today."

'_She's an odd one.'_ He thought, but replied in a friendly way "I'm alright. What is your name?"

"Luna, Luna Lovegood. My father is the editor for the Quibbler."

"It's been nice to meet you, Luna."

Harry stood up and put his bag on shoulder. He thought that he should find Hermione and Ron; it was getting close to dinner time. He had no idea how long he had been asleep.

"Do you like snakes?" she asked.

"I don't mind them." Harry remembered back to Dudley's birthday and the boa, "Hey, I'm sorry to leave but I should be meeting Ron and Hermione for dinner."

"Ok, it was nice to talk." She said with a small wave and then disappeared back into the forest.

Harry walked back to the castle; he wasn't sure what to think about either Dobby or Luna.

* * *

><p>Dumbledore, Severus, McGonagall and Hagrid sat around a round table in a closed off section of the castle. A place unknown to students and most of the staff, it was where Dumbledore conducted his most secret of meetings. There were no portraits to overhear them in this room and it was easier for Dumbledore to check for eavesdropping spells or any other charms that would compromise their secrecy. After what had happened with Quirrell last year, it became apparent to Dumbledore that he needed more than Severus. What had happened to Harry was not going to be an isolated incident. It was not a matter of if or really how but when. The professors who had been in the Order of the Phoenix before were now called together again with the addition of Severus. This was a time where they could say whatever needed to be said, secretkeeper charms prevented them from speaking or writing about anything said here outside meetings.<p>

Severus rolled his eyes at Dumbledore, "You mean to say, that we have to put up with the imbecile for a whole year?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Yes, I want to establish that Lockhart is a fraud and I want to prove it to the rest of Wizarding Society. I also want to know who he is leeching his achievements from. Many of the actions described in the books have actually happened."

"He certainly isn't clever enough to have imagined all of the events himself," Hagrid added, "I have also found plenty errors in the novels as well. There is no way any fool would be able to sing a werewolf into submission, no matter how experienced with the creatures."

"Well, I'm concerned that the students aren't getting a proper education," Professor McGonagall exclaimed, "I remember him at Hogwarts. He was a silly fellow who was overly full of himself. He had no real talent or brilliance. It is a mystery to me how he got into Ravenclaw and has achieved an Order of Merlin third class."

Severus sighed, "The Order of Merlin third class is awarded for knowledge or entertainment, in his case entertainment. This award is determined strongly by public vote and we all know most of the public are absolute idiots. So is Fudge who awarded it to him."

Hagrid chuckled, "Isn't that the truth?"

Minerva was not amused, "I really feel like the students need a good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, one that doesn't have Voldemort welded on the back of his head."

This comment stung Severus. It was no secret that he had always wanted to be a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Severus had a lifetime of experience in the subject and he knew he could teach the subject well. It was frustrating that Albus would not let him have the position. Was the old man so afraid that he would return back to his former Death Eater self? However, he knew that it was sensible for Albus to not to completely trust him.

Dumbledore just shook his head and shrugged, "This is a last resort, Minerva. If he doesn't prove his capabilities here, then we can out him to the public as a fraud. He'll be gone by next year regardless."

"But-" she stammered.

"That is final. Now, I also need to cover about what is happening in regards to Lucius. I believe he has been trying to bully the governors into having me removed from the school."

Hagrid growled, "Fat chance. It'll take a lot more than bullying of the governors to get rid of you. He'd be planning something bigger. He's maybe an old Death Eater and general dickhead but he's rich and clever enough to do calculated harm."

"Yes, I do think he is planning something." Severus said bluntly, "I have not had contact with him in recent months but I do believe he is displeased with you being his son's headmaster. That's what I hear from some of the old Death Eaters I still have contact with."

Dumbledore nodded again and frowned, "We will have to keep a close eye on it. In other news, I find most of the students are settling in well for a new school year."

"- The last Weasley is a Gryffindor." Hagrid smiled.

"Pandora's daughter has been having a hard time settling in," Minerva said sadly, "I wish there was something we could do, and especially given everything Pandora has done for the Order back in the old dark days. I have talked to Flitwick and he has tried to help her but it will be an upstream battle for her to make friends."

Severus shook his head, "Luna is reasonably intelligent and is quite imaginative. However, she has poor social skills, is slow to pick up on social cues and has odd, restricted interests. She will never be particularly well liked with her peers. I would know. It doesn't help at all that she is a parselmouth."

"Well, I never expected that." Dumbledore said, "I would just be on the lookout for bullies. I feel like we have a important duty uphold in her mother's memory."

They all nodded.

"There is something else but it can wait until later," Severus said shaky, "It involves Harry Evans…"

"You can tell all of us," Minerva said sternly, "We all need to be on the same page."

Severus wished Dumbledore had just kept with their one-on-one meetings instead of a group,"When I picked Harry up from his relatives, it seems as if he has been having visions. These various snapshots such as an old diary, Lucius Malfoy, what looks like Ginny Weasley unconscious in a pool of water and a phoenix with a sword. These visions cause him some distress. I believe he maybe a seer."

"In that case, I believe he can take over Trelawney's job. I bet he will be a better teacher, not that it would be difficult to achievement to unlock." Minerva said with a huff. It annoyed Severus a bit that both Minerva and Hagrid tended to use these secret meetings as a complaint session but they always got everything they needed to say said.

"I wonder who he could have inherited _that_ from?" Hagrid said. Severus knew that it was a dig at him.

"Severus," Dumbledore said, "This changes everything."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Luna in my fanfic has Aspergers, although they have no such diagnosis in the magical world._


	14. Halloween

'_Hi Tom. Just finished class.'_

'_Hello Ginny. How have you been today?'_

'_Not good Tom, I had an accident broomriding practice. I slid off my broom and fell on the ground on my back with my bottom up. So embarrassing! It was all because I was trying to help Loony Lovegood, she's so clumsy. Urgh!'_

'_I'm sure it's not her fault.'_

'_No, but she can never fly right. She's strange too. She doesn't know how to talk to people; she just goes from one subject or another. Nobody in our year even likes her. She doesn't have any friends. '_

'_That's a bit harsh. Maybe she just needs someone to give her guidance.'_

'_Yeah, I guess I am too harsh on her. Anyway, I was wondering if you knew how I could make a boy like me?'_

'_I suggest being nice but there isn't really anything else I can suggest.'_

'_It's just that I really like this boy called Dean Thomas. He's a few months older than me and is in the same class as my brother Ron and Harry Evans.'_

'_I suppose that being nice to him works and hopefully he likes you back. You're a nice girl. I'm sure he'll like you. Hey, can I ask you to help me with something?'_

'_What is it, Tom? Just tell me and I will do it.'_

'_I'll show you. I'll help you do it.'_

The next thing Ginny could remember was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She had no idea what had occurred, only that it was dark outside and the other girls in her dorm were asleep. She began to shake and her breathing was shallow. Her hands felt sticky, so she ran to the bathroom. There was blood on her hands. Ginny washed her hands three times to get all of the blood off and then five times more. She then went back to her dorm. She didn't sleep that night.

* * *

><p>"I have to painstakingly remind you that I will not tolerate any talking, wand waving or other kinds of foolishness in my class. On another note, I appreciate that some of you understand by now that as you are now in second year and that the work will be harder. However, some of you have not. I will also not tolerate deliberately sloppy work…"<p>

Severus stood at the front of his second year Gryffindor-Slytherin class returning the student's assignments with a flick of his wand, he was not impressed but that wasn't anything unusual. Most of the class had managed to write reasonable essays or else nothing out of the ordinary. He returned every essay except for Harry's.

"Harry Evans, your essay on Moonstone properties was mediocre. Detention after dinner at 7pm."

The whole class gasped, Harry never did poorly on assignments and he was top of nearly all of their classes. Detention after dinner was usually for serious misconduct.

Harry's eyes widened in exasperation, "But sir, its Halloween tonight, the feast -"

"Silence, I will explain the faults in your essay in detail at 7pm. Class, turn to page 31 of your next text. We will be making Honeysuckle Cough Remedy today."

Harry slumped in his chair, he felt disappointed. He knew that he had worked hard on that essay. Hermione had received Exceeds Expectations which was a good score for a Gryffindor to get from Snape.

Severus wasn't concerned about what Harry was thinking, not now, for the boy would discover the truth at night. What he was going to do would never be approved by Dumbledore but he wasn't concerned about that. After thinking about the previous year's bad events and knowing the boy would be facing more danger in the future, Severus had made a decision. He didn't care about the consequences as far as the old man was concerned but he was not going to let Harry go on not being able to defend himself. Lily and the boy always came before his duty to Dumbledore.

* * *

><p>Halloween feast was as grand and magnificent as it had been last year. The people of the magical world really did celebrate the holiday like it was purely self-dedication to their own kind. Everything sweet treat was delectable and extravagantly made (except for the cockroach crunch, which to Harry's disgust was actually made out of real cockroaches). Harry made an effort to smuggle as many sweets as he could as possible.<p>

"I'm sure he can't get away with this Harry," Hermione said, taking another mouthful of steak, "Giving a student detention on Halloween is just cruel."

Harry signed, "He just did."

"I can't imagine what you did wrong on that essay," Ron said with a shrug, "I did mine two hours before and I got an Acceptable. I didn't care. Hey, have either of seen Ginny? She's been acting odd all of a sudden."

Hermione shook her head, "No, Ron we haven't seen her."

Harry didn't know what to say but just shook his head and ate the rest of his pumpkin and spice cupcake in silence. He knew for sure that Snape was not telling him something important. He still had no real idea what it was. Maybe Dumbledore had ordered Snape to look after him.

At quarter to six he said goodbye to his friends and stopped delaying the inevidable. He walked down to the dungeon without a word and avoided the glances of Slytherins mocking him for receiving a night detention. He knocked on Snape's quarters.

"Come in."

The room that Harry found himself in was bigger than he had anticipated. There was greenish light coming from the ceiling and he noticed that the ceiling was merely water from the Great Lake held back by magic. The second thing he noticed was the scattering of books and papers around the room. There was little walking space. At a desk in the left side of the room, Snape was scratching a piece of parchment with his quill. Snape turned around, on his face was a smug look. He pointed to Harry and then a pile of books, Harry sat on the books without complaint.

"You gave me detention for my essay." Harry said.

Snape flicked his wand; a few papers flew onto Harry's lap. It was his moonstone properties essay and there was a 'O' for Outstanding marked on it.

Harry became angry, "If you wanted me to come, you didn't need to humiliate me in front of the whole class. I worked really hard on that essay."

Snape shrugged, "Being nice would have appeared out of character. Anyway, if I need to make an emergency meeting with you, I will give you another night detention for a mundane reason so don't take it personally. Otherwise, I must let you know that the next meeting is on Sunday afternoon at three. Your essay isn't the real reason I summoned you here. I must tell you Harry that you must never speak of this meeting or any of the others afterwards. Not even to Dumbledore himself."

"Based upon what has happened the previous year, it has come to Dumbledore's attention based upon that you may need extra lessons for self-protection," Snape began in his usual drawling tone, "For a start, Dumbledore wants you learn to control the visions you are having. True seers are quite rare but not unheard of and their abilities are usually uncontrollable.

"I will teach you the art of Occlumency, which is act of magically closing one's mind against Legilimency or in other words what muggles might consider 'mind-reading'. However, legimency might be better understood as navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. The mind is not a like a book with pages but a vast collection of information that is vastly interconnected. Many legilimens find that the ease or difficulty of interpreting another's mind depends upon an individual's personality and intelligence. Some people's minds are like simple children's drawings and others like vast collections of imaginative stories or mathematical equations. You may even come across the rare individual whom you will find that trying to interpret their thoughts is like trying to figure out what the number eight smells like. There are many people whose thoughts may appear alien."

Harry was confounded, "Is occlumency and legilimency taught at Hogwarts?"

"No, nor is it written in any book," Snape said with a slight smirk, "Only those lucky enough to taught such skills know how to use it."

"Can Voldemort use legilimency?"

"He can use it to rip your mind in shreds until there is nothing left. Now let me continue - Occlumency is a way of creating a barrier against a legilimens or in your case, invading and unwanted unconcious thoughts. It involves clearing your mind. I believe that in time you will be able to control your seer abilities. More advanced Occlumency involves suppressing only the thoughts, emotions, and memories that would contradict whatever it is an Occlumens wishes a Legilimens to believe; hence, it is not obvious that Occlumency is being used even if the person is lying. But that will be for another time, much later when you are old enough to understand it. Now, we must begin today's lesson in Occlumency, learning how to clear the mind…"

* * *

><p>At nine thirty, Harry left the dungeon to make his way back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry was kind of perplexed; he had spent a whole lesson trying to attack Snape with minor spells. If Harry had not successfully cleared his mind, Snape could easily block him. As of such, Harry had only managed to him Snape successfully once. He had walked out of the dungeon with mind blanking exercises to be performed before bed.<p>

Suddenly, he began to hear a hissing voice and for a moment, the sound of something slithering:

'_I must eat. I smell blood. I smell human children, what a delight! Kill. Kill. Kill.'_

Harry began to panic and he began to run back to the common room as fast as he could.

Then he heard another voice, this one was definitely human, "Harry! Harry! Harry!"

He turned around to see Luna standing in the hall, with her hands wringing about her turnip necklace.

"Go back to the Ravenclaw common room, Luna." He told her, "It's not safe."

She shook her head, "I'm too scared to walk by myself anymore. I can hear evil voices and they say awful things. I must really be as loony as everyone says I am."

"No, Luna." Harry came closer to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, "I can hear them too. I can help you get back but we must avoid the voices. Whatever is making them is no friend to us."

Luna nodded and together they ran.

"We must pass through the second floor." Luna said as they ran, "The other entrance into the Ravenclaw tower is blocked."

As soon as they had reached the second floor, they knew something had happened. There was a crowd of students and the floor was soaking wet.

"It must be water from the girls' bathroom," Luna said to him.

In the distance, Harry could hear McGonagall's shouting voice, "Stand away! Prefects- lead all your students back into the common rooms. I want you all gone in three seconds!"

Before being taken away by Percy, they got a good glance of the hall. Filch's cat, Mrs Norris hung from a torch bracket, stiff as a board. As much as Harry disliked Filch, it was cruel for anyone to hurt his beloved cat. However, more concerning was the red writing on the wall. The way it dripped made Harry know it was written in blood. 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE!'

"Thank goodness we weren't the first people to find it," Harry said, "You better follow your prefect."

Luna nodded, "Thanks for helping me."

"It's ok; I'll see you again tomorrow."

In the distance, Harry could hear a voice: "Enemies of the heir, beware. You'll be next, mudbloods!"

He turned around to see Draco Malfoy looking directly at him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think. Good, indifferent or bad._


	15. Blood Serpents Discoveries

Blood. There was blood everywhere and Ginny had no idea where it had come from. The dried blood felt sticky on her fingertips and in her already-red hair. Her clothes were soiled and stiffened. It would take time to clean them. As she lay on her bed in a pool of blood and feathers, she began to hyperventilate. It had happened again. She also had no idea how long she had been here or how much time had passed. Ellipses in times like these were becoming more and more common. She didn't know whether she should be relieved or more terrified that the blood covering her was not her own.

The last time this had happened was Halloween and Ginny had heard about what had happened that night. It was frightening and Ginny knew that she was involved in it. As much as she disliked Flitch she couldn't imagine someone being mean enough to petrify his cat, Mrs Norris.

Ginny had no idea what to do. She knew it was Tom but she had no idea how he was controlling her or whether she could break free. At first he was kind: a good help and a secret friend. As time went by Ginny began to feel like all of the energy in her body was being sucked out. Before Tom was finished with whatever his dark agenda was, she would be drained dry. She had been a fool to trust him. She should have thrown the diary away on the train. Whoever had thrown it away before her had the right idea.

She remembered Tom's last message:

'_Noone will believe you, silly girl. Who would believe a book would make you do such things? Are you really so stupid? Besides, I'll tell everyone your secrets if you try to break away from me.'_

That had been the last time she had written in the book, a week ago. However, she and Tom were still bound strong. He knew too much about her: her desire to standout from her successful and talented brothers, her disagreements with her mother, her crush on Dean Thomas, her yearning to be popular with her peers, fear of rejection, fear of failure. There was no way out.

To Ginny's relief, the other girls in her dorm were sleeping. With strenuous effort, she changed from her dirty clothes into her pyjamas. After than she brushed away all the feathers. She then gingerly made her was down the stairs into the common room where there was a sink where she could wash herself with water and soap. It was there that she cleansed herself of all the blood. Ginny must have washed herself at least seven times before she was confident that she was clean.

As Ginny passed the girl's dorm corridor mirror as she went back to bed, she saw her reflection. She was so pale that her skin was a pastel shade of grey. Then a horrible realisation came to her. She realised that she was going to die.

* * *

><p>Snape drifted around Hogwarts' Great Hall corridors with a subdued sense of terror. Over the last couple of weeks, the atmosphere around Hogwarts had changed. It was no longer the fun mystical place of learning that he had been calling home for the last ten years or so. He could sense the fear in the air. He missed being able to stalk the halls like King.<p>

He hated being on night patrol. Taking Vitality Potions so he could stay up all night was starting to take a toll on his body and mind. Without sleep or distraction of students during the day, his mind wandered onto topics that he did not want to go back to. He began to remember all of the mistakes he made, including the pivotal one that he made when he called Lily a mudblood when he was fifteen. He regretted the loss of the woman who could have loved him. He regretted that he could not be the father that Harry needed. He regretted all of the innocent blood he spilt at the Dark Lord's side. There was nothing that he could do to make it better.

He was also becoming increasingly paranoid but he didn't know whether that was a side effect of the potions or not. Knowing that a live basilisk was residing in the school was not at all comforting. If the students or their parents had been smart enough to figure what Slytherin's Monster is, none of the students would be left here. What he couldn't believe was that Dumbledore had known all along and had done nothing about it during all the decades that he had been Headmaster. However, he could understand – he wasn't about to track down a basilisk either. It was suicide.

"Severus," A gruff familiar voice called from behind him, "I'm glad to see you here."

Severus jumped. For such a large man, Hagrid had a talent for sneaking up on other staff members.

Severus managed a groan of a greeting, "Good evening, Rubeus."

Hagrid gave a forced chuckle that came out as more of a nervous tick, "You mean good morning, it's almost three in the morning."

"Good to know. I've missed a Vitality Potion so excuse my mood."

If it were any other staff member Severus would have not hesitated to be rude. However, Hagrid would be an exception tonight. The man was becoming useful. He had found out long ago that Hagrid was much more intelligent than his speaking patterns and education level suggested. The half-giant must have inherited his brains through his father. The man must have been reasonably clever, but perhaps not clever enough know not to have sexual relations with a giantess.

"That is fine, I ain't so good myself. Now let's cut the small talk and get ter' business. Someone has killed all my chickens. Yer know what that means."

"'The basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it,'" Severus quoted, "Do you have any idea who is behind the slaying?"

Hagrid pursed his lips and his black eyes hardened, "We both know who is behind this. We know who the 'Heir of Slytherin' is. He had destroyed countless lives without a speck of remorse. I will never forget what he did to me all those years ago."

"What I mean is 'do you have any idea who is under his influence?'"

"I have meh theories but none I can prove at the moment. Also, I must say that my dear old Aragog and his family are scared. Yer know I love my creatures but I do have me limits, I think a big killer snake would be a wee bit much."

Severus frowned, "There doesn't seem to be anything we can do but wait."

"Wait?!" Hagrid whispered fiercely, "How long before a student is killed? The longer we wait, the more damage will be done. We've already have a petrified cat. How long before it attacks a student? How long before another child dies? What if it hurts Harry?"

Severus began to seethe. Trying to use Harry to manipulate him was low.

Hagrid shrugged and turned away, "We may be on the same side Severus but I don't trust yer."

Before Severus could retort, there was a sharp scream from behind them. Fearing the worst, they both ran through the corridor and up to the fourth floor.

"Close your eyes!" Severus shouted, "I thought I saw a tail."

Severus had heard some pretty vile sounds during his lifetime but the sound of a basilisk slithering through the corridor and the deep hissing sounds that came out of its mouth would have to be one of the most chilling. The hairs stood on the back of his neck. His nerves were on edge.

"It's safe to open yer eyes." Hagrid said in a despondent voice. Something had gone wrong.

On the floor was a blond Gryffindor first year lying on his back, his body frozen with his hands clutching a camera with both hands. The poor boy was a muggleborn. Severus found the boy's tendency to take pictures of everything and anything annoying but in this case, it saved his life by shielding him from a full basilisk's gaze.

"It's Colin Creevey." Hagrid said with sadness, "Poor boy."

"At least the boy is only petrified," Severus said, "We have to take him to Madame Pomfrey right away. Then we will alert the other staff."

Hagrid nodded and picked up Colin's body.

"Oh, and Rubeus," Severus said as a final quip, "This is our mistake. We were arguing instead of looking out for students. We could have saved him. People make mistakes."

"Yer've made mighty big ones don't yer forget that."

* * *

><p>"Hermione, we need to get to Draco now." Ron said anxiously.<p>

"If you have any good ideas besides using a Polyjuice Potion to disguise ourselves as Crabbe and Goyle to get a confession," She retorted, "Let me know."

Harry shrugged, "It's the best idea we have at the moment. It sounds better than nothing."

Hermione scoffed, stirring the cauldron containing the potion contents, "For a start making a Polyjuice Potion is difficult, even if Harry and I are combining our skills. Secondly, entering the Slytherin commonroom is a stupid idea because it contains Slytherins, ew. Third…"

"Yeah, yeah. We know Hermione." Ron retorted, "It's not a particularly smart idea but Malfoy is currently our only lead."

"Hermione," Harry said while looking at the interior of the girl's bathroom, "Do you think it is a good idea to hang around here? I mean, this is a girl's bathroom. Ron and I aren't girls."

Hermione scoffed, "Don't worry, nobody comes in here. Don't ask though, you might wake her."

"Talk about not asking," Ron said curiously, "Where have you been going at night after class?"

A lump rose in Harry's throat, his extra lessons with Snape were secret and he wanted them to stay that way.

"I've just been reading in my secret spot," Harry said nervously, "If I told you were it was, it wouldn't be a secret now would it?"

"Ok, forget I asked."

Before he knew it, there was a low slithering sound that came then faded.

'_Kill… ssssssssssss… I was so close… I need blood… sssssss…'_

"Can you hear that?" Harry said, "That voice saying 'kill…I need blood'?"

"No Harry," Ron shrugged, "We didn't hear anything. Just a sliding noise but I reckon it's just the pipes playing up."

Hermione said with a frown, "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Harry said, "I know Luna can hear it too."

"You mean that strange girl that is in my sister's class. Her dad's the editor of the Quibbler. The man is a bit nuts. Speaking of my sister, have you noticed anything wrong with her? She's been quiet lately and she looks pale."

"I wouldn't know Ron," Hermione said, "I've always assumed she was shy."

"Shy? Ginny? That's a joke." Ron said, "At home the girl never shuts up. There is something wrong. Percy and the twins think so too."

"Maybe she's not adjusting well to Hogwarts or maybe someone's picking on her…"

Harry wasn't listening to Ron and Hermione's conversation. He remembered when Luna asked him 'do you like snakes?' and the time he set a boa constrictor on his cousin Dudley at the zoo. Then something clicked in his head. Maybe he and Luna could talk to snakes. He had figured it out.

"Of course!" Harry shouted, "Slytherin's monster is some kind of serpent. What else would it be? It makes sense! What else would it be?!"

His two friends just stared at him as if he was insane. Then of course, they had no idea about his train of thought.

"Be quiet!" said a girl's sad and mopey voice from inside one of the cubicles, "I'm trying to sleep."

Hermione shook her head, "Thanks for waking Moaning Myrtle."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for my sad attempt to try and write Hagrid's accent but thank you for reading, following, reviewing or putting a favourite on this story. Feel free to continue to do so._


	16. The Polyjuice Potion Drama

_"I don't know why the other students are mean, Luna"_ Miss Hissy told her, _"You don't deserve it. If it was my way, I'd make them apologise."_

_"I don't know what to do Miss Hissy,"_ Luna shrugged, letting Miss Hissy curl around her fingers, _"I wish I could make friends with the other kids in my class. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I hate it how they make fun of me."_

Lying in the grass on the edge of the forbidden forest, Luna watched clouds pass and the sun set. She could see Thestrals pass overhead. She wasn't frightened by them. The place was a refuge from others who wished to do her harm. She felt safe here.

"Luna! Luna!" called out a familiar voice, it was Harry Evans again. She could see the weedy dark haired boy from a mile away.

"Hey Harry!" She called back and waved. Miss Hissy hid herself back under her sleeve.

"Luna, can I ask you something? It's important."

"Sure, Harry. Ask me anything."

"Can you speak to snakes? Be honest."

Luna scrunched up her face. She had promised her father that she wouldn't tell anyone.

"Yes, I'm a parselmouth."

"A what?

"Someone who can speak to snakes." She explained then spoke to Miss Hissy, _"Come out, he won't hurt us."_

Slowly, Miss Hissy came out. Luna knew she would be hesitate. She distrusted anyone except for Luna.

_"Hello,"_ Harry said to the snake.

_"He can speak!"_ Miss Hissy exclaimed in surprise, _"Another human who can speak besides Luna."_

Harry pressed a finger to his mouth,_ "We must be quiet about this Luna. The reason why we hear voices in the walls is because the monster of slytherin is a giant snake. It could get us into trouble."_

Luna nodded. She understood clearly.

* * *

><p>"Harry, promise me that you will be careful," Severus told the boy at the start of their weekly lesson, "and that you will not do anything stupid. Hogwarts will be under lockdown until the so-called 'Heir of Slytherin' is caught."<p>

"No, Professor." Harry said looking straight into his eyes.

Severus couldn't supress a smirk, "I see that you have been getting better at Occlumency. Maybe I should have waited until you were older to teach you that skill."

"Professor," Harry started, "Who is the 'Heir of Slytherin'?"

"That is a good question. I think you have heard Gryffindor version of the Prophecy that Minerva told you all but I believe that you haven't heard the original version. After the falling out between Slytherin and the other houses, a great seer called Yolandra made a prophecy about 'the heir of Slytherin'. The prophecy has only a few specifications and is relatively vague. There would be a direct descendant of Salazar himself who would bring the houses together in harmony. This student would be sorted into his house, a natural-born parselmouth and she explicitly specified that they would be psychologically normal. Whoever is behind what is happening at Hogwarts is just a pureblood- supremacist brute."

"But what about Slytherin's monster?"

"That is actually something different. For all his brilliance, Salazar Slytherin made a mistake of creating a beast he thought would protect the school from intruders. However, he could not control it. So with the help of his followers he locked it into a chamber. Only a parcelmouth could have opened the chamber."

Just then, Harry went pale and his eyes widened.

"Harry, I do not believe that you would have done such a thing. Nor would little Miss Lovegood. It is better than you both don't reveal your ability to speak to snakes to anyone. Not even Hermione and Ron."

"How did you know that I could speak to snakes?"

"I have my ways of knowing things, Harry. Anyway, let's begin your lesson for this afternoon. I want you to make these bottles behind us disappear and reappear using non-verbal magic."

* * *

><p>Draco was halfway finished writing when his mind blanked. Frustrated, he scrunched the paper into a ball and threw it towards the bin at the corner of the Slytherin common room. It landed beside the bin.<p>

"Oi!" shouted a voice behind him, it was Kimberley Waverley - the Slytherin Headgirl, "Put your rubbish in the bin. Don't throw it around."

He poked his tongue at her and refused to move.

She sighed, "Fine. Have it your way, Richie Rich. Minus ten points from Slytherin."

She swished her wand; the piece of paper lifted itself into the air then landed it into the bin. She then went back to studying for her NEWTS while muttering under her breath about how much of a little brat he was.

Draco took out a new piece of paper and tried again. It had been over two months since he had bothered to write to his father. He had no idea what to write. Nor did he really want to write his father a letter but it was his mother's request. He listened to his mother because loved him.

His father didn't like his letters anyway. He would call his stories about school boring and belittled him for not doing as well as Harry Evans did.

He didn't like Harry Evans. The son of a mudblood prostitute was smarter than he was and had the benefit of being famous. He also had the benefit of not having a father who would lock him in closets for hours or lash out at him when irritated. Harry was friends with the worst kinds of people: that blood traitor Weasley and the know-it-all mudblood girl. He also caught him talking to the strange girl who was apparently his cousin. It was a shame that Harry didn't choose to be friends with him instead.

He wrote his father the smallest of letters.

'_Hi Father_

_I have nothing interesting to tell you._

_Bye.'_

Draco then put it into his pocket and would go to the owlery later to send the letter by his owl, Razorbeak. His father would not be happy with the letter but the man was never happy with him anyway. It didn't matter what he did, it wasn't good enough. The only thing the last letter said was that he had heard that the 'Heir of Slytherin' was back and that Draco should just mind his own business. His father also told him that when the last time the chamber had opened fifty years ago a mudblood had died. It unsettled him. Maybe his father did have a hand in this. His father was selfish and mean but he didn't like to think of his father as a monster.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Crabbe and Goyle enter the common room. Something was wrong, they seemed a little disorientated and fearful.

"Hey!" He called to them, "Come here and sit with me."

They both took one look at him and the follow his orders. Somethings never change.

"Where have you both been? I've been looking for you both everywhere."

"Sorry, we had detention from Flitwick," replied Goyle in a way that Draco found too formal coming from Goyle, "He made us write lines."

Draco snorted, "I didn't know that you could write. Or read."

Crabbe and Goyle just looked at each other. It was clear they had no idea what to say.

"I have no idea what is wrong with you guys." Draco said, "But I'm getting worried. Dad might take me out of school if he feels like this whole thing with the heir is getting worse. He's always wanted to send me to Durmstrang."

"Do you want to go?" Crabbe asked gingerly.

"No, it's too far from home and I don't speak German."

"Do you have any idea who could be behind this?" Goyle replied.

Draco sighed, "I told you both before. I have no idea but father told me the last time it was opened fifty years ago, a mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time... I hope it's Granger."

They both looked horrified. Then something strange happened, Crabbe's hair became redder and there was a faint mark appearing on Goyle's forehead. They both looked at each other and panicked. Before Draco could say anything, they were running away.

It was definitely an odd day for Draco Malfoy.

* * *

><p>There was nobody around to hear Ginny scream. Nobody went to the first floor girl's bathroom very often and the ghost was gone, so it would be a good way to let out her frustrations.<p>

'_Stop doing this Ginny,_' said a voice in her head, _'I won't be destroyed. You've been having problems lately, let me help you again. Stop throwing me around._'

"NO!" she screamed and continued to pelt the evil diary into the toilet. However, no matter how hard she tried it would not become wet. Nor could she shred it.

_'You leave me no choice.'_

Suddenly, Ginny was struck down with a sharp, excruciating pain. She withered on the floor for some time before the pain grew worse and she fell unconscious. Only this time she reawoke on the bathroom floor unmoved. Instead of blood, her hair and clothes were soaked with water. She was weak but strong enough to stumble away, leaving the diary behind.

* * *

><p><em>June 1978<em>

"Do it Severus."

"Yeah, Sev. Take the final plunge."

"Hit her."

"Hurry up and finish her."

"Finish that muggle filth."

He stared at the young muggle woman in the ground. He was frozen in dread over what he had just seen. Her beautiful blonde hair was tussled and her clothes had torn. He huddled in a foetal position on the cold soil. She was crying hysterically. There was nothing around besides them and the forest. There would be nobody to save her.

"Please… Let me go…" She pleaded to the men around her. Her pleas were met with harsh laughter.

Severus did not know what to do. He was young and being a Death Eater was harder than he imagined. There was no way he would do to her what Malfoy, Macnair or the others did. However, he did not have the bravery to save her.

Instead, he brought out his wand and pointed it at her head. He said the words and a green flash of light came out of his wand. He put her out of her misery.

He didn't remember much of what happened afterwards. However, he did remember with great shock when he opened a muggle newspaper two days later to find an article on the violent murder of a beautiful young woman. Her body was found in the middle of the forest by a forester. The article included a picture of the familiar blonde woman who was only a year older than him. Her name was Annie and she was a waitress who studied literature. She disappeared after leaving the train station nearby.

Severus left the pensive feeling shameful. Albus was beside him with a sad look on his face.

"The past is the past, Severus." He said gravely.

"Then why are you making me revisit it? It's cruel."

"Because, you're the only Death Eater who has come forward with their experiences at their own will. I need to get names. I need information."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Please tell me what you think. And please no boring feminist rants._


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